


You're Mine

by Elzy1985



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-07-30 23:00:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20105044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elzy1985/pseuds/Elzy1985
Summary: Villanelle turns and walks away from the body on the ground. The blood seeping into the cracks of the ruins. She leaves Eve bleeding and walks away.What happens now?





	1. That didn't go as planned...

Villanelle turns and walks from the ruins; a faint breeze blows stray hairs across her face as she systematically begins to take the Browning 25 apart and tosses the pieces as she goes. The sound of the metal hitting the stone rings in her ear; like the bullet. The one lodged in Eve's chest, the one causing her to bleed all over the white stone. She blinks a hard blink, a decisive blink, a blink of action. She follows a small path out of the ruins and her feet take her north-west; given that she has no time to process her next steps her feet simply know where they need to go. Her mind is a void; she smiles to herself, thinking back to Aaron as the life drained from his eyes; he was a void but so much worse than her...Right?

She feels in her pocket for the keys Konstantin had given her earlier, now realizing she had left them in the car. "Stupid," she says aloud. 'Stupid like you believed Eve was different!' She shakes her head and continues to walk, the ruins behind her now and a road coming into view. She has limited options right now, no money, no passport, no Konstantin... Her mind flashes to Eve, to her words.

  
"You want me to be a mess"  
"But I'm like you now"

  
_"You're mine!"_ her own voice screams, and Villanelle stops walking, the sound echoing in her mind and seemingly out of it as well. She looks back, knowing that she's been walking for at least ten minutes. Long enough for Eve to have bled out from that type of gunshot wound. Eve would be lying in a large pool of blood, her beautiful hair, wet with blood, her eyes...cold and dead; her soul sucked right back into her_. _

_'Why had Eve done that? Why did she not see how much I loved her? She killed for me, to save me, to be like me and that's how she acts? Is that how normal people act?’_

***

Hugo tries to turn onto his side, but something is stopping him, his eyes flutter open and his vision is blurred. Head spinning and aching he begins to make sense for the hazy visuals, an EKG machine, a drip, uncomfortable bed, itchy blanket. Yup, hospital.

"Try to lay still Hugo, you're going to break your stitches" a woman's voice sounds, and he turns to see Carolyn standing at the foot of his bed. Her face as always, unreadable, lips pursed in a thin line and her eyebrows raised as she takes in the sight of him.

"What happened?" Hugo asks, his voice thick and tongue dry. Carolyn moves around the bed and pours a small amount of water into a paper cup for him and hands it to him. "You were shot, the doctors have removed the bullet, you lost a lot of blood, but we got you here in time." Carolyn says all of this in her usual tone, business-like, although nothing is every business-like in their line of work.

"Eve?" he asks after placing the cup back on the bedside table and he notices something pass over Carolyn's face, dismay maybe?

"No idea. She's chosen to stay in Rome." Carolyn walks back to the end of the bed and picks up her coat and shrugs it on. "You'll be here for another day or two, once the stitches are out you can travel home. I'll have someone collect you and fly with you. In the meantime, there's a lovely gentleman from Interpol outside your door and several armed guards wandering around the place. You should be quite safe for now." With that, she turns to leave, and Hugo feels his head swimming again.

"Wait, Eve is still here? Don't tell me she went with her?" he says referring to Villanelle.

"She chose her side," Carolyn says in a matter of fact way and gives Hugo a small smile before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.

Hugo reaches under the blanket and shifts the hospital gown up and sees the dark red and purple bruising around the wound which has been neatly stitched. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, trying to remember the face of the person who shot him. A man? He was tall, hairy, leather jacket, his face is a blur, but he had a distinct smell...sausage. He opens his eyes and looks around the room from some kind of entertainment to pass the time.

"Hey? Do you think I can take a peek outside, maybe grab a quick smoke?" he yells hoping there is someone outside the door. He is met with the sound of a thump and the door opens quietly as a young nurse walks into the room and walks straight over to pick up his chart and looks over it. Her face is partially hidden by a surgical mask and her head is covered with a white cap. The white coat sits awkwardly on her fame like is too big for her and is spotted with blood.

"It's not very hygienic of you to be in here with that blood-soaked thing on is it?" Hugo says and gives the nurse a wide grin. She puts the chart down and pulls the coat off and tosses it on to the chair by the window.

"Is that better?" she says, the mask muffles her voice but there is a distinct accent and Hugo looks at her and sees familiarity in those hazel eyes.

"Shit," he says as panic rushes through his body.

"Don't scream!" she says, and, in a flash, she is next to him her right hand tightly around his throat pushing on his windpipe. She pulls the mask off and tosses it aside, her mouth slightly twisted, like she is enjoying the feeling of him squirming underneath her. She pushes just a bit harder and he whines at the pain and his eyes begin to water.

"I'm not going to kill you. I just need you to cooperate. Do you think you can do that Hugo?" Villanelle's fingers twitch against him and she watches his hands scratching against hers to get some relief. She quickly twists and punches him in the stomach, and he groans in pain. Her hand leaves his throat and he coughs hard as air beings flowing back into his lungs. He clutches his stomach and can feel warm, fresh blood seeping through his hospital gown.

"You bitch, you broke my stitches," he says between coughs and Villanelle laughs.

"I'm sure the girls will love the scar and your heroic story that will go with it," she says, and Hugo can't tell if she is making a joke or trying to offend him.

"Right," he says before turning and reaching for the cup of water. Villanelle twitches and almost darts forward to stop him but realizes he is simply getting water. "Bit on edge, are we?" he says with an eyebrow raised but can't read her expression.

"Did she let go with you? You know she was thinking about me the whole time" Villanelle says softly, and her hand absently runs across the fabric on her top, her stomach, the left side where Eve had stuck one of her own knives into her. "I'll bet she didn't even thank you," she says as she moves closer to him, "She just takes what she needs then tosses you aside" her voice changes, it's menacing and there is an edge to it that makes Hugo see the mask slip away. Not a physical mask, but that one she wore to pretend to be human, to be normal, to be like him, or Jess or Kenny. Her eyes are wide, but the pupils are so dilated it's unnerving to look at.

"Where is Eve?" Hugo asks and watches her as she moves around to his side and flops down in the chair.

"You know, I don't really have a lot of time to chat. The guard will be coming back in a few minutes and I'm tired, I don't really want to kill another overenthusiastic gym junkie." She laughs at this and the sound is somewhat psychotic and causes Hugo to shift in his bed; his eyes never leaving her. "I need your phone," She says, and this time Hugo laughs which irritates her and she stands from the chair and slaps him across the face. "This is no time for laughing Hugo. I need a phone and I need it now. So where is it?" He reaches up to his face and rubs the spot where he had just been hit.

"You really think they left me a phone? Christ, I'm lucky they sent me to a hospital! This is MI6, not your fancy Russian operation, I'll be lucky to get back and still have a job" this information bothers Villanelle and she lets out a disapproving cluck.

"Then I guess I have no use for you anymore," she says, and she reaches for the IV drip cord and pulls it from the bag with force, causing the saline solution to fly across the room. She quickly wraps the plastic tube around his neck as his hands try to stop her, but she is strong, stronger than he anticipated, and she manages to catch a break and punches him in the stomach harder this time and he lets out a long groan. She climbs on top of the bed and uses both hands to pull the tubing tight around his throat and watches his eyes being to bulge. His body squirms underneath her, trying to push her off but she does not budge. Villanelle leans in closer and watches the water run from his eyes and down his cheeks, they are bulging so much now she thinks they might pop but they don't and in two minutes she knows the blood flow has been cut off long enough to cause brain damage. His body stops twitching after another minute he is dead. The sound of air trying desperately to get in is soft and she leans closer to hear that final wheezing breath and watches his eyes go dark.

***  
Searing white hot pain. That's what it felt like when the bullet hit. A burning that turned your body inside out and the impact forcibly pushed her back. She didn't feel herself fall, shock had taken over with a second and then nothing but a void.

"She's in a coma" a voice says, and Niko turns to see an older man, with short white hair and a dark coat on. His accent is definitely Russian, and Niko feels a shiver run down his spine.

"You found her?" He says and the man nods. "And she was shot" Niko says, his voice breaks and emotion takes hold. 48 hours ago, he woke up in his and Eve's storage unit, bleeding from a wound on the side of his head, Gemma... God Gemma was dead. "Who are you in all this?" Niko says as he wipes a stray tear before it falls from his nose and onto his thick mustache.

"Nobody now" the man says and turns to leave but is stopped by Niko's hand on his arm, it's tight but not aggressively tight.

"You find her...and you put her down like a dog" his voice is edgy. Desperate. The voice of a man who has lost it all and only now realizes it.

"I will try" Konstantin says softly and feels a deep prang in his heart. Maybe he was the only one who could stop her?


	2. Love is a battlefield...

Love is a battlefield…

Villanelle walks quickly past a woman with a green dress and dark hair, she accidentally bumps into her and as she does her hand reaches into the woman's handbag and expertly pulls out her purse. She tucks it under her shirt and apologies in an Australian accent before walking past and turns down an alleyway.

She opens the purse and pulls out a handful of notes and coins before tossing the tacky, fake Louis Vuitton purse onto the dirty sidewalk. So far, she'd managed to get 75 euro... not enough for a plan but she could at least make it part of the way to London. She could hitchhike but if she had to but would prefer to avoid that. She continues walking and thinking out her next steps, planning meticulously, she needed to get out of Rome.

‘_But what about Eve? Was she alive? Would MI 6 save her or just leave her as another casualty?’_

Something strange begins to brew in the pit of her stomach. She stops and her breathing becomes labored. Villanelle turns her head and vomits bile on the cobblestone roads. She spits and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and a single thought drives her next thought. She needed to find Eve.

  
Villanelle's feet trace her steps back, she knows it's dangerous and takes time to make sure no one is following her. She runs back towards the ruins and as she turns back along the path, she sees a shocking site. Nothing!

"No, no, no, no" she says aloud and rushes over to the spot where she left Eve bleeding but there is nothing there. No body, no blood. Nothing! Panic sets in, something she very rarely felt. Only for a fleeting moment when Anna had pointed the gun at her, when Nadia had. If anyone was going to shoot Oksana it was either of them, but they both failed and let their feelings get in the way. She falls to the ground and punches the ground, a bellowing yell echoes around the ruins and tears awkwardly well in her eyes.

  
"She's alive" a voice says, and Villanelle turns quickly to see Konstantin standing near her, not close but close enough for her to hear him. She stands, the tears gone, the feeling in her stomach evaporates and she moves closer to him. He watches her thoughtfully, as she stops right in front of his face.

"Where is she?" She asks, her voice is soft, but there is a menacing tone behind it. Konstantin moves back a step before replying.

"She will be air lifted to London in the next few hours. Her husband is here. The police are looking for you Villanelle, you will not get far before they catch you." At the mention of Eve's husband her mouth twitches, and a smile curls across her lips.

"Did he like what I did to his friend?" She says, and Konstantin simply shakes his head.

"Maybe they are right about you. You are unstable!" He says and she immediately stops smiling, her mouth drops into an exaggerated frown and she says

"Maybe I am just a crazy psychopath who must be stopped at all costs" her voice is playful, like a child’s, and she laughs a high-pitched laugh that causes Konstantin to frown at her.

"Don't be this way. I risked everything to help you. You think this is easy? My family is waiting for me! But I'm here with you" his voice is hard, and Villanelle stops what she is doing and looks at him.

"We are not family Konstantin. You said so. Eve will forgive me now. She knows why I shot her. We are even now" she says and points to her stomach and the slightly red scar there. He watches her as she begins to move away, back the way she came.

"Where are you going? Everyone is out looking for you. Police, MI6, the twelve. You are wanted dead. They will send every assassin they have after you. You are a dead woman." Konstantin says, his voice conveying the fear and pain in his words.

"Funny thing" she says with a wide grin "I'm already a dead woman!"

He rolls his eyes, "Are you coming? They will be here soon." Villanelle walks up to him and puts her hand on his cheek.

"Let's go" she says and leans closer to his face, he shrinks back a little but not quickly enough to avoid a very wet tongue licking his cheek.


	3. Ice, Ice Baby...

"Where are you taking me?" Villanelle asks for the third time and again is met with silence from Konstantin. He simply looks at her, smiles then focuses back on the road.

They have been driving for three hours and she had lost her bearings once they left the streets of Rome and entered into the countryside. "Are you taking me out to the farm to kill me like a dog?" She asks absently while looking out the window and letting out a sigh of boredom.

"No. There is a place where you will be safe, just for a little while. I have to go back to Russian and talk to them. Try to make them see why you must be kept alive" he says, and she turns to him.

"I'm amazing, why would they want me dead!" Her comment causes the usual reaction from Konstantin, he frowns, and sighs deeply at her and says

" You never listen. You are in trouble. I'm risking a lot for you." He says and she simply ignores this.

"Don't they think you're dead? I did shoot you" she says and smiles at him.

"They know everything. They have people everywhere. You won't be hidden for long." Villanelle let's out a gasp saying,

"Oh no, they might find me and then I'll have to kill them all!" Konstantin turns sharply and pulls the car off the road and turns to her.

"This is serious. You cannot joke like this. You need to stay hidden until I have dealt with this. Do you understand?" His voice is hard, and he can't help but feel like he is scolding his unruly child. She looks at him and her face is blank, unreadable.

"Yes papa. I will be a good girl" she says, her eyes wide and almost on the verge of tears.

"You are going to be killed within a week" he says before starting the car and continuing.

"Where are we going?" She asks yet again and Konstantin smiles and lets out a laugh.

"Somewhere cold" he says and turns to see a look of disgust on her beautiful face.

She turns on the radio and a song begins…"Ice, ice baby " 

  
She feels Konstantin's eyes on her as a roar of laughter erupts from the man and she quickly punches the button and shuts the radio off. The sound of his laugh filling the now silent car.

  
***  
Kenny's phone buzzes on the desk and he looks at it for a moment and reads the message. _‘E is awake, weak but she's asking for you.’_ He quickly tucks his phone into his pocket and shuts off his computer.

"Where are you off to?" A voice asks and he turns to see Jess standing in the doorway.

"Oh, I'm just, popping out" he says, and she raises an eyebrow and rubs her hand across her stomach.

"You can tell me Kenny, I know there's a lot of hush hush about all this. Hugo's dead, Eve is god knows where and her husband is being shipped off into witness protection." Her voice is filled with concern and she takes a step closer, reaching out to touch his forearm. Her eyes pleading with him to give her some explanation.

"Meet me at the pub tonight, 7pm." He says before grabbing his jacket and bike helmet and leaves the office hurrying out into the cooling night air.

He rides as fast as he can to the hospital and rushes through to the room where an armed guard is standing. He stops and takes a moment to catch his breath before walking up to the guard who simply nods and moves to allow him in. Kenny looks at him awkwardly but doesn't give too much thought to it as he sees movement in the room. He walks in and hears the soft hum of electrical equipment fills the room, he steps in and sees the doctor hovering by the bed, and she smiles before quickly walking past him and shuts the door behind her. Kenny takes a tentative step towards the bed and sees Eve turn her head and a look of relief on her face.

"Oh Kenny" she says softly as tears well in her eyes.

"I tried to warn you Eve." He says and stops moving forward but Eve's hand reaches out towards him and he moves in and takes it.

"I'm so sorry Kenny. I should have listened to you. She killed him. She slit his throat right in front of me and then... oh god" her voices falters and she looks up at him.

"What Eve. What happened?" He asks, his voice earnest, knowing that the doctor will need to report to his mother about Eve's condition.

"I... she shot me. She thought that I would leave with her. Live in Alaska..." her hand drops away and she turns to the window as tears cloud her eyes.

"I can't be here much longer Eve. Mum will be here soon. She murdered Hugo, in a hospital in Rome. Niko is being put into witness protection, she killed Gemma in your storage unit. If you know anything else tell me now!" His voice is hard, and she takes all of this information in, her mind swimming.

"Niko, oh god. What did she do? What did I do?" She says and tears begin to fall from her eyes. Kenny walks across the room and pulls out a few tissues from the box and hands them to Eve, who wipes her cheeks and blows her nose. "I killed a man...Raymond. He works for the twelve" she says, her voice soft and she speaks quickly. Kenny looks at her and his face is blank.

"Okay" He says and there is a knock on the door, his ten-minute warning that his mother is on the way. "Don't tell her. I'll see if I can find them. Stay safe" He says heading to the door.

"Them?" Eve asks as he reaches the door. "Oksana and Konstantin" He says before opening the door and leaves walking quickly down the corridor, his mind reeling with the information Eve had provided.


	4. We’re not in Kansas anymore

The house smells old, musty and there is a thick layer of dust on every piece of furniture that Villanelle passes.

"What is this place?" She asks as they walk through the hallway and runs her finger along a shelf and looks at the dust on her finger.

"Disgusting" She says as she follows Konstantin into a small living room. The furniture is a far cry from what she was accustomed to and she lets out a sigh seeing the floral printed chair and shag rug on the floor.

"Why are we in Switzerland?" She's asks and Konstantin finally stops and turns to her.

"You will be safe here for a few weeks. You must stay hidden while I make sure they won't kill you" He says, his voice is hard, and he tries to impress on her the importance of the situation.

"I have to stay here? But it's so...old" Villanelle says and her face twists into a look of childish dismay.

"Yes. There is food, a bed and books. Do not leave the house. If anyone comes here that isn't me, kill them" he says and points to a small cupboard under an ugly painting of a vase of flowers. She opens it and sees it is stocked with two pistols, a Ruger assault rifle and about twenty boxes of various ammunition.

"Cool" She says as she pulls out the pistol, a Glock 9mm and begins fiddling with it and loading the magazine with ammo. She looks happy. and Konstantin can't help but feel uneasy by this. Violence was all she truly understood, that and hate.

"This is stupid" Villanelle says as she cocks the gun and points it directly at Konstantin's head. He instinctively raises a hand and says,

"Hey! Don't play with these. I don't trust you pointing a gun at me" his voice is hard, and Villanelle cocks an eyebrow at him before putting the safety back on and tucks the gun into the back of her pants.

"So, are you staying for dinner or does the dead man need to run?" She says as she walks through the living room and into the kitchen, she opens the refrigerator and sees it is stocked with the bare necessities. Milk, some vegetables and what looks like cheese. She lets out a groan and says,

"No champagne?" In a childish voice and Konstantin lets out a hearty laugh. He reaches up to a cupboard above her head and pulls out a bottle of vodka and she clicks her tongue.

"Sneaky Konstantin" She says and snatches the bottle from him and goes looking for a glass.

"I have to go" He says has she ignores him while she noisily opens cupboards and draws. "Be careful Villanelle" he says loudly and turns to walk out but a hand catches him, and she pulls him into an awkward hug; still holding the vodka in one hand and a glass in the other.

"I will miss you" She says in a tone so serious he almost believes her.

  
***

  
She's bored, it's been four hours and she's bored beyond belief. After bathing, dressing in ill-fitting clothes that smelt worse than the house itself, she had found canned soup and a loaf of bread. She ate the soup cold and the bread was close to becoming stale, so she took the loaf out and broke it up and tosses it around the yard. She noted that there was a fence around the property, the garden was overgrown and made it easy for someone to hide in. She tried to read a book but found her mind wandering after only ten pages.

  
Eve...

  
Standing in the ruins, a slight wind blowing through her gorgeous hair, a smile on her face.

"Alaska has always been my dream. Niko never wanted to visit, he says it's too cold" Eve says, her eyes bright as the sun passes between the columns and across her face.

"I don't mind the cold" Villanelle says, a smirk on her lips as they draw closer to each other.

The air around them is alive and they can both feel it as they stop so close Villanelle can feel Eve's breath on her as she lets go of an especially deep breath, like she was holding it in anticipation of what's to come. Villanelle leans into her and her hand gently reaches up, tangling in Eve's dark, luscious head of hair. She takes a deep breath and lets out a small noise as Eve's scent fills her nostrils.

"Eve, you are exquisite!" She says softly and if Eve is taken aback by this, she doesn't show it, instead she reaches up to cup Villanelle's cheek and runs her thumb over her jaw and continues across her bottom lip. Villanelle lets out a groan at the intimate contact and feels herself ready to lose control. To take Eve and rip her clothes off and take her right there, on the dirty ground.

But she is stopped!

She feels the point against her stomach and looks down to see a knife. Her eyes widen and she looks up at eve saying,

"What are you doing?" Her own voice is foreign to her, it's needy, desperate and scared.

"What I should have done" Eve replies and Villanelle watches as Eve moves the knife from her stomach, up her torso and stops over her left breast. Villanelle's breath hitches and her eyes search Eve's for a sign that this is some dangerous foreplay. But it's not and Eve leans in closer, her breath tickles Villanelle's ear.

"It hurts more if I push it in slowly" she says, her voice is moving and before Villanelle can respond the knife plunges in quickly and she lets out a harrowing scream.

  
She shoots up from the dusty floral couch, her hair stuck to her forehead from the cold sweat. Her breathing comes so rapidly she feels like she is having a heart attack. Villanelle pulls the blanket off herself and lets out a scream of pure anger. She picks up the small coffee table in the middle of the room and hurls it at the wall, it breaks in two and three legs fly off in different directions; one smacking her in the shin. She pulls books of the shelf and throws them all around the room as she screams again and again. Her rage and anger taken out on any and all inanimate objects in the living room. When she has broken all, she can find and her breathing has calmed, a single coherent thought runs through her mind and tumbles from her lips "I'm going to kill you Eve Polastri!"


	5. Doctors orders

**Three weeks later**

There is a hand around her throat, she can feel long icy fingers stretching around her neck. Her breath comes in shallow gasps. She should be scared, should be fighting off her attacker but she can't. Won't. The hand grips tighter and she feels something; a deep thud somewhere down below. She squirms against the hand and feels the bed dip under the weight of another body climbing in next to her. The hand stops squeezing and is more of a gentle pressure that sends a shiver down her back.  


"Do you still think about me?" Her voice is soft, luscious, like silk. Her accent seems more pronounced, she's not sure if it's because she hasn't heard it for some time or maybe she had spent time in Russia?

"Of course, I do. You shot me, dick" Eve's voice sounds distant, like it's under water.

"Eve? Are you alright there?"

Her eyes open, sun blinds her momentarily and she blinks several times trying to get her eyes to adjust. Movement in her peripheral draws her attention and she sees a dark face bobbing near her, a bright smile on her face as she reaches out and takes Jess's hand.

"What are you doing here?" Eve says softly as tries to roll over, pain shoots through her left side and Jess reaches out to stop her.

"Take it easy mate. You did get shot" she says, and Eve lets out a groan as she repositions herself and takes a look around the small bedroom. It's tidy, with modern furniture and a cosy feel.

"You've been out of it for a while! They brought you back and stuck you in my flat. Carolyn thinks it's the safest place for now. You've got to take it easy for a few more weeks, doctors’ orders" Jess says and reaches over and hands Eve a glass of water which she takes thankfully and drinks from slowly.

"Niko?" Eve asks and Jess takes the glass from her saying

"He's okay, they've...sent him off to...an undisclosed location" Eve jerks up this time ignoring the searing pain in her arm and shoulder, chest, everywhere!

"Undisclosed? What the hell? I'm his wife, I should know where he is" she pulls the blanket off her and goes to stand but her legs are wobbly, and she realizes her body is heavy and slow.

"Eve just take a minute. He's safe. And if I remember rightly you two broke up" Jess's voice is soft and she tries to settle Eve, but the sound of a crying baby stops her.

"Shit, sorry. I just need to deal with him" Eve watches her go only just realizing that Jess is no longer pregnant.

"How long?" Eve asks as Jess walks back in carrying a tiny blanket swaddled baby.

"Three weeks, two days and about fourteen hours" Jess says as she sits next to Eve and shifts the blanket so she can see the boys smiling face. "Eve, meet Hugo" Jess says softly, and Eve looks over at Jess with a sad smile and a tear silently runs from her eye.

***

Villanelle is breathing hard, her legs and arms pumping as she runs through the forest, her mind is blank. The only time she never thinks is when she's running, she jumps over a fallen branch and continues as the small cottage comes into view. Out of the corner of her eye she catches movement and she darts towards the nearest tree and steadies her breathing, focusing on the sounds around her. There's a bird above her softly chirping and she hears the wind rustle through the leaves. She leans around the tree her eyes searching for any sign of movement and sees a figure moving slowly towards the house. It's dressed completely in camouflage but the heavy rifle in the persons arms make it stick out.

She pulls out the Glock from the back of her pants and flicks the safety off as she begins moving as silently as she can. As she moves the figure stops and she falls to the ground, her eyes following the movement of the rifle as it scans the surroundings.

One loud pop sound and the figure drops to the ground, blood flowing from the neat hole in the side of the man’s head. Villanelle raises an eyebrow and stands slowly, dusting the dirt off her baggy tracksuit and turns to see someone standing a few meters away, a Dragunov sniper rifle in hands that look soft and delicate.

"Nice shot" Villanelle says and the woman lowers her gun as does Villanelle, "Who are you?" She asks and the woman pulls off her small military cap and runs her hand through short brown hair.

"A friend" she says, her accent is Russian, which doesn't surprise Villanelle.

"Did the twelve send you and him?" She says pointing with her gun towards the dead body on the ground.

"The twelve didn't send him, we don't know who sent him. Konstantin sent me “she says and the mention on his name only causes Villanelle to raise an eyebrow. The woman leans her gun on the ground against her leg and pulls off her back pack and pulls out a phone, she hands it to Villanelle as a call shows up on the screen. The number is private, and she hesitates for a second before taking the phone and answers.  


"Villanelle?" The voice asks and Villanelle slightly drops her shoulders, at the sound of Konstantin’s voice.

"You haven't visited in a while Konstantin. I've been very sad without seeing you." She says and hears a laugh on the other end. She smiles, a genuine smile, it was good to hear him after three weeks of silence.

"Are you being nice to Lara? She's a friend, don't kill her" he says, his voice is firm, and Villanelle can imagine his face as he says this. His finger raised in her face, trying to discipline his naughty child.

"She has kind eyes, I might not kill her...yet" she says, and this earns her another hearty laugh.

"I have missed you Villanelle. I will be there soon to take you to your new apartment." His voice softens and, in the background, a small voice calls out to him.

"Is that your daughter Konstantin? Did the British give you your family back?" She says, her voice surprised.

"No, the twelve did" he says and before she can question anymore, he says "Be kind to Lara, don't be naughty" he says and the call ends.

"So, are you going to kill me Oksana? “Lara asks, her deep brown eyes watching Villanelle as she hands the phone back to her.

"I don't think so" she replies, and a smirk turns up her lips as they begin walking to the cottage; they stop at the man’s body and search for anything on him but find only the gun and a few magazines of ammo. Lara takes this and Villanelle picks up the rifle, she checks it over and sees its Russian made, just like the one sitting on the table in the cottage.

Something prickles on her back and she feels the hairs stand up on the back of her neck as she turns to Lara and points the barrel of her Glock directly between her big, beautiful brown eyes.

"Are you a friend?" She asks, and if Lara is surprised by the gun pointed at her she doesn't show it.

"You don't remember me do you" she says, and Villanelle is caught off guard by this.

"No" she replies, her brow furrows as she tries to remember who this girl could be.

"At school they called you, devushka bez litsa" Lara says softly and Villanelle's back straightens, and she moves as Lara stands, the gun still pointed at her head.

"The girl with no face" she mutters quietly, and Lara nods her head.

"I always thought you had a nice face" she says and finally Villanelle's arm moves, and she tucks the gun back into the waistband of her pants.

"I don't remember you" she says, her voice is like a void and Lara simply shrugs saying

"I guess the sex behind the office building wasn't that good. It was my first time" Lara watches as Villanelle's face changes and recognition passes over it.

"Wait, that was you? You look so different now. Did you cut your hair?" Villanelle's voice is full of wonder now and as they walk back to the cottage Lara says

"I was only thirteen then. I hope I look different” Villanelle laughs before saying,

“I like your hair shorter. It suits you" she says as she opens the door and walks in, Lara following behind her.

"This place is shitty! Did Konstantin tell you that? I bet he didn't. He's an arsehole like that" Villanelle says as she drops the gun on the bench and walks into the kitchen and pulls out a glass and fills it with water.

"You want a drink?" She asks and Lara nods saying,

"You have anything stronger, it's freezing in here" Villanelle smiles and drains the glass of water before moving past Lara and into the living room which is still a mess from her impromptu tantrum this morning. "Oh my god, did someone break in here" Lara says, shocked at the sight.

"Oh no, bad dream" Villanelle says casually stepping over the broken table and picks up the half empty bottle of vodka, she pours a generous amount into the glass and hands it to Lara who thanks her quietly.

"So, What now friend?" Villanelle says as she takes a drink from the bottle, her eyes never leaving Lara's as she pulls off the back pack and sits on the couch and drinks slowly from the glass.

"We have a job to do." Lara says as she grabs her back pack and pulls out a sleek Apple Mac Book and a post card from Switzerland. "Konstantin will be here in a few days, once the job is done." Villanelle takes another drink and her eyes sparkle at the thought of going back to work.


	6. I’m gonna catch you

*One month later*

"Owwwwwwww. Oh, Jesus, shit that hurts" Eve's voice echoes in the almost empty room, she turns over onto her back as the feeling in her left arm begins to return. "Oh, Jesus!" She says as she moves her shoulder slowly, trying to ease the constant ache.

She pulls back her covers and walks across to the small En-suite bathroom. She pauses to look at herself, her hair is wild and untamed, her eyes are sullen, and her cheeks look gaunt. She pulls off her oversized shirt and tosses it on the ground along with the other dirty laundry. She looks at the pile and contemplates putting on a load of washing but movement in the mirror catches her gaze and she turns to the small window behind her. She opens the window and peaks out but sees nothing out of the ordinary. She quickly shuts the window and turns back to the mirror and her eyes drift to the puckered pink skin on her left shoulder. She gently runs her fingers across it and feels a tingling sensation, her mind drifts back.

_"You’re mine"_

Her voice still echoes in her head sometimes; at night especially when she's fast asleep and it seems like a distant memory. She hears the desperation in Villanelle's voice, the hurt and of course, the anger.

_“I love you“_

Those words were the hardest to hear, yet those were the ones she heard the most. While she slept, when she ate, while she ran, as she sat and watched bad reality tv. Always it was there. Eve shakes her head and runs her hands through her hair before turning the shower on and the room quickly builds up with steam. She showers, lathering her body in cheap body wash and wonders if Villanelle still has a bath; if her hair still smells like vanilla and her skin like coconut. She pours too much shampoo into her hands and realizes she's drifting again. She washes her hair quickly and doesn't bother with conditioner, it's not like she had someone to run their long, delicate and deadly fingers through her hair. There she goes again!

She shuts the hot water off and stands in the cold until it becomes too much and shuts that off too. She reaches around the cheap plastic curtain for her towel and pulls it in and wipes her face, feeling something papery run across her face. She looks down and sees the tag is still on the towel and she can't help but laugh, she pulls the tag off and begins drying herself as she steps out of the shower and turns on the exhaust fan. As she does, she looks to the mirror and drops the towel and a gasp escapes her mouth. On the mirror, in slightly curved writing are two words.

_‘Sorry Baby x’_

The condensation is causing the two Y's to drip down quickly and as the fan sucks away the steam from the shower she stands and watches the letters begin to disappear. She's not scared, she knows she should be, but she's not. She picks up her towel, dries as quickly as possible and stumbles into her cramped bedroom and dresses in whatever she can find. She pulls on her shoes, grabs her handbag and phone and is on the phone to Carolyn before she's out the door.

***

Lara runs a cloth over a small switchblade, wiping all the remaining blood off before carefully cleaning the hilt. She pauses and looks over at Villanelle, who is crouched by the body and watching his eyes as he takes his last breath.

"Why do you like watching so much?" She asks but Villanelle simply raises her hand to quiet her. She moves the man's head and as the last bit of life drains from his eyes she turns the head away and stands.

"Aren't you curious about where they go when they die?" Villanelle asks as she takes the cloth from Lara and wipes off her own knife, a larger one with a curved blade.

"Not really. I'm paid to kill, so I kill and don't think about them. They are just a job" Lara replies as she tucks her knife away into her combat pants.

Villanelle walks over to her and takes her hand, she sees small spots of blood on it and under her nails there is more blood. She brings it to her mouth and gently unfolds her fingers and kisses her palm.

"Does it excite you, Lara?" She asks, her voice is soft and luscious. Lara takes an audible gasp as Villanelle sucks her index finger into her mouth and runs her tongue along its length.

"Fuck" Lara whispers and feels Villanelle smile against her hand as she moves closer to her, their bodies touching, and Lara feels herself getting wet as Villanelle pulls her finger out of her mouth with a pop and reaches behind her head and pulls her into a fierce kiss. Villanelle feels Lara's fingers run down her side and grip her hips as she pulls her tight against her. Their kisses are hard and Villanelle sucks Lara's tongue into her own mouth and hears a gargled moan from the brunette's mouth. She takes Lara's left hand and moves it where she needs it most and Lara quickly unbuttons Villanelle's pants and reaches into her panties, feeling her slick heat as her fingers run over her clit. Villanelle moves a hand from the back of Lara's head and unbuttons Lara's pants, she slips inside her panties and lets out a groan at how wet she is.

"So that's a yes then?" Villanelle says with a smirk and she doesn't wait for an answer as she plunges two fingers into Lara.

The sounds in the room become primal and Villanelle can feel Lara is close, she quickens her pace and Lara does the same and she feels her thumb working against her clit, hard and rough. She lets out a groan and feels her body give way, Lara comes quickly with her and they both work each other down from their peaks. Villanelle leans her head against Lara's cheek as her breathing returns to normal and she gently pulls her fingers from Lara and looks down as Lara does the same.

She watches as Lara brings her own finger to her mouth and sucks Villanelle's sweet silky cum off her fingers; Villanelle watches and feels a whole new wave of arousal rush through her. She quickly cleans her own fingers and once done leans in and kisses Lara, pushing her tongue hard into her mouth and savouring the taste of cum, blood and death.

***

"She's still working for the twelve?" Eve almost screams and she notices Kenny jump slightly with surprise.

"Eve, take a chill pill okay," a familiar voice says as the doors swing open and she turns in shock as she sees Hugo walk in as nonchalant as ever, a smirk on his face and a fading yellow bruise around his neck.

"Hugo. Oh my god, how? How are you alive?" She stammers as she rushes over and hugs him tightly and they both wince in pain.

"Hey, do we match?" He says and pulls up his shit exposing a neat puckered scar on his stomach.

"Almost, I'm not showing you mine," she says, and he leans in so only the two of them can hear

"Not what you said in Rome" he gives her a wink and walks across to his usual desk and sits down.

"Can someone please explain what the hell is going on here?" Eve says as she flops down in the nearest chair and lets out a deep breath.

"How much time have you got?" Kenny asks with a smile and Hugo laughs as Eve rolls her eyes and gives Carolyn her full attention.

"As far as we know, after she shot you, she made her way to the hospital where Hugo was; we think she had contact with someone on the inside to find his location, she tried to kill him and left." Carolyn's voice is even, calm and her faces give little away. Eve wonders how Carolyn would score on the psychopathy scale.

"So why kill Hugo?" Eve asks and Carolyn raises her eyebrows saying,

"She wanted a phone, I assume she wanted to find intel on us." Eve listens and shakes her, not able to believe what she is hearing.

"She's been in this office, why would she want intel now?" Eve asks and Carolyn looks at her before nodding at Kenny. He turns in his chair and a few clicks later there are pictures up on the screen.

"David Walton, Annabelle Johnson, Gunther Van Hugh and Lucas Karlson." Kenny points to each picture as he rattles off the names and Eve is astounded at how busy Villanelle has been.

"So, who are they?" She asks and Kenny points to the first image, an elderly man in his sixties.

"Lucas Karlson, Switzerland, an Interpol agent retired last year but with extensive contacts. The only thing missing from his house was his government-issued laptop which in the wrong hands could give information on all his operations into financial dealings with thousands of people in witness protection provided by Interpol." Kenny stops and points to the next image, "David Walton, senior MI 6 operative working in Berlin to uncover a major drug ring with ties to Russian Mafia. His death looked like an overdoes except..." Kenny stops and looks up at Eve, and she raises her eyebrows.

"Except What Kenny?" She says and it's Carolyn's voice that sounds from behind.

"He died from a drug over does, administered anally in a squirting butt plug" The room is silent, and Eve is sure no one in the room is breathing.

"Jesus" she finally says, and Kenny simply nods at her.

"Annabelle, MI 5, low level really, she worked in records. Again, the only thing that went missing was a sealed document which we assume is related to Gunther Van Hugh." He points to the last image, a young man. He has keen hazel eyes and high cheekbones which remind her of someone. "Real name, Pavel Astankova, Oksana's brother"  


Eve feels as if she's been shot, the wind is knocked out of her and she takes a step back. She feels dizzy, she feels sick to her stomach. Carolyn helps her back into her chair and hands her a glass of water.

"Quite shocking really. After they killed him, she stuffed a pair of panties in his mouth." Carolyn says in a matter of fact way. Eve can't believe what she is hearing, Oksana had a brother who she killed.

"Wait, did you say they?" Eve says, sitting up in her chair and Carolyn nods once.

"Yes, the DNA doesn't match Oksana's. We are still trying to find out who she is" Kenny says and Eve stands and begins pacing in a tight line between the tables.

"She's working with someone. Have we heard from Konstantin? What's he doing now?" Again, the room is silent, and she turns to Carolyn who is perched on the desk next to her.

"He's with his family. We haven't had contact since after Rome" she says, and Eve can't hold in her expression of shock.

"You're kidding, right? You have to be joking." Eve lets out a laugh and looks around realizing no one else is laughing and the room is sombre. "What the hell!" she exclaims and thumps her fist on the desk Carolyn is sitting on. "You haven't bothered to speak to him despite knowing that she's still killing people?" her voice is loud now, and if anybody did walk past, they would hear her beginning to lose her shit.

"He's not in the picture anymore Eve. I'd like to remind you of the fact that you stayed in Rome. You chose to go with her, and she shot you. My decisions are my own. We haven't spoken to Konstantin because he is of no use to us anymore." Carolyn stands from the desk and walks over to pick up her coat, she walks back and stops in front of Eve.

"I'm assuming you have not found another job yet, so if you would like to continue to work with us, I'm sure Hugo and Kenny will be happy for the extra set of hands. Oh, and don't forget Kenny the new girl starts tomorrow. I need you to show her the ropes. I'll be in after twelve." With that, she pulls on her coat and walks out the door.


	7. I never really loved you anyway

“Can one of you two explain why MI 6 is interested in the latest targets death?” Konstantin asks. He is sitting on the end of the king size bed which takes up most of the space in Villanelle’s new apartment in Prague. There are bags everywhere with clothes and various other items strewn across the whole apartment. He watches as she slowly turns and unwraps herself from the body in her bed. She looks tired, her eyes are sunken and lacking their usual spark and mischievous glint.

“I don’t know what you are talking about” Villanelle replies in a nonchalant tone and shrugs her shoulders, her face showing an exaggerated shrug. Lara turns onto her back and looks up at Konstantin who isn’t shocked to she her half naked top exposed as she reaches across to the bedside table and checks the time on her phone. 6:15am. An ungodly hour for anyone, let alone him to be here, waking them up; considering sleep had only taken them mere hours ago after a long night of vodka, talking and sex.

“Why are you still here Lara? Don’t you have your own targets to be working on, hmm?” Konstantin asks and raises an eyebrow at the brunette. She simply shrugs her shoulders and says,

“Oksana’s targets are more exciting than mine” and pulls the covers back revealing the rest of her naked body as she climbs out of bed and walks to the kitchen. Villanelle watches and her eyes change, they are darker, predatory, Konstantin wishes he didn’t see that look in her eyes.

“Why are you here so early? Doesn’t your daughter need her daddy? It worries me how much time you spend here and not with her” Villanelle says as she pulls the blanket off and Konstantin looks away as she walks over to the small dresser and pulls out a silk robe which she drapes over herself and another one, matching the dragon pattern on her own but in a deep red which stands out like blood against her own black and white one.

Konstantin stays quite as she walks past and gives him a shrug and smile before meeting Lara in the kitchen where she is making two espressos. Villanelle gently drapes the silk robe over her lean shoulders and watches in appreciation as Lara pulls it on and covers herself.

“I knew red was your colour” Villanelle says as she reaches her hands to Lara’s hips and pulls her close to her and leans in kissing her passionately. Konstantin stands and claps his hands a few times startling the two women and they both look over at him with dark looks.

“Enough! They want you back in Russia tomorrow Lara. If you are not there than you will be considered defective and I’m sure you know what will happen after that” His voice is hard, like he is reaching his breaking point. Lara picks up her coffee and drinks it slowly watching Konstantin as he walks closer to them, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a postcard and hands it to Villanelle saying “Do not mess this one up. Eve is looking for you and when she finds you, she will return the favour” he points to her heart and makes a gun shooting motion. Villanelle takes the postcard; her face shows no visible impact at the mention of Eve’s name and she simply turns it over before placing it on the bench and picks up her coffee and drinks it in two gulps.

“Tell your daughter I said hi. Maybe I can come and kidnap her again. She had so much fun last time” her voice is childish, and Konstantin rolls his eyes and lets out a dry laugh. “You won’t ever see my daughter again Villanelle” with this he turns, gives Lara a stern look before leaving the apartment.

***

“I just want you to know, I’m not happy Mum hired you again” Kenny says as soon as Eve enters the doors and she is caught off guard by the comment. She looks at him, clutching his bike helmet with both hands and a concerned look on his face. “You should be in jail. Not working here like you’re any different from her” Eve simply looks at him, a look of stunned shock on her face. She takes a few steps closer to him and he visibly recoils.

“I’m nothing like her. What I did, I did because I thought she was going to die. We need her alive to find the twelve” she says, her voice is hard, and Kenny watches her face as it changes from hard as stone to something softer. “I’m sorry, this is going to be hard. But we need each other whether we like it or not. So put your shitty feelings aside and do your job. Find that bitch so I can kill her myself” she turns on her heels and walks into the office leaving Kenny standing in a stupor. He watches her go and his mouth hangs open at her words.

“Um, hi Kenny” a voice sounds, and he turns to the lift and sees Elena standing there. Her hair is shorter, and she is dressed in grey slacks and a baby blue top; similar to what she was wearing the first time they had met.

“Oh my god. Elena! You’re the new girl” he says, and she smiles at him and walks towards him and gives him a quick hug which he reciprocates somewhat awkwardly, while still holding his helmet.

“Carolyn called me last week. Told me bits and pieces. She thinks it might help Eve having familiar people around. Is she…is she still her?” Elena asks and Kenny turns to see Eve fussing over her desk and moving papers.

“She’s so lost” he says, and Elena reaches out and squeezes his hand saying

“We’ll bring her back. We have to” she says before taking a deep breath and walks in with Kenny trailing quietly behind her.

“Eve! Oh my god you’re back” Elena says animatedly as she walks in and sees Eve look up and has to do a double take before she realizes who is standing in the middle of the office.

“Jesus, Elena! What are you doing here?” she says as she embraces her and as she holds her old friend, she feels something in her chest. It’s a hard thump and it causes a bubble to rise in her throat causing her to struggle to breath. She takes a soft gasp and her stomach drops as she feels her eyes begin to water, streams of tears come, and she feels her throat tighten as feelings upon feelings pour over her. Guilt, shame, happiness, terror, relief, love. All of them swimming inside her and she lets out a sob and feels Elena squeeze her before pulling back and says,

“You fancy a drink?” and Eve lets out a small noise and looks back at her, eyes wet, cheeks stained with tears.

“Yeah” she manages to say, and Elena leads her out of the office and looks back at Kenny and gives him a small smile. He nods at her and takes a deep breath before walking to his disk and boots up his PC.

***

“Are you going back to Russia?” Villanelle ask, her hand stops it’s trail down Lara’s body and she absentmindedly runs her finger tips over her stomach, feeling the lean muscles beneath contract at the contact.

“No” she says and reaches down to cup Villanelle’s cheek and strokes her cheek with her thumb.

“What did he mean by ‘you know what will happen after that’?” she asks and uses her best Konstantin stern voice to say the last part. Lara laughs and places her finger under Villanelle’s chin, she leans down and kisses her softly before nudging her up closer to her and she comes up closer to Lara.

“Raymond was my tutor. They felt like they needed a safeguard in case he ever failed or was killed” her voice is soft and she reaches towards Villanelle but she moves quicker and in a flash she is straddling her, her honey blonde hair falling around her face as one hand reaches forward and catches one of Lara’s hands, her other hand clasping around her throat and she squeezes as Lara thrashes under her.

The movement hits her right between the legs, and she can’t hide the arousal there. Lara tries to reach villanelle’s neck, but she is shorter, and her arm doesn’t reach, so she tries to pry the long fingers from around her neck.

“Please” she manages to say as her eyes begin to bulge and water at the pressure on her neck.

“So, you were here to kill me this whole time? That’s kind of rude, making me think you liked me. Making me think that you were like me” Villanelle’s voice is hard, and her eyes and face give no emotion as she presses her thumb hard against Lara’s throat and she can feel her muscles and windpipe against her hand. Lara tires to talk but she cannot make out words, water is dripping from her eyes and Villanelle watches, ignoring the scratching hand at her own. She grinds down against Lara as she desperately tries to release the pressure against her neck, but Villanelle doesn’t let up. She quickly lets go off Lara’s other hand and wraps it around her throat as well and continues to grind down against her stomach. She feels her stomach tighten and is shocked by how quickly she is coming. Lara’s hands scratch up her arms, but she simply ignores the scratching and works herself harder against her.

She hears Lara struggling and knows she is close, she wants to hold on, but her body is betraying her and as she pushes down with all her strength, she feels her release and lets out a load moan and her hands give way. Lara begins coughing hard but manages to push Villanelle off her and stumbles out of the bed and falls to the ground, her lungs filling with air as she reaches towards her chest as the oxygen fills her body. She coughs hard a few more times and turns over on her back and sees Villanelle standing over her.

“Go back to Russia before I change my mind”


	8. From Russia with love

“What happened in Rome? I mean Kenny filled me in a little bit, but honestly, I’m lost with it all. You got shot? By Villanelle?” Elena was quiet on their walk to the nearest pub but once they both had a gin and tonic in front of them at 9am, the questions flowed like a torrent.

“Give me a minute Elena” Eve says softly as she takes a deep drink and closes her eyes for a moment; trying not to picture those two words on her mirror, the itching of her scaring shoulder and the softness of Villanelle’s hand the last time she had reached for her. “She said the safe word” Eve says softly “I thought she was in trouble…” she lets out a laugh and Elena watches her with an eyebrow raised. “She slit his throat right in front of me; for a minute I thought she was going to kill me” Eve’s voice is soft, despite the early hour there are a few customers around and their conversation isn’t exactly bar appropriate.

“Yeah, Kenny told me. She wanted you to leave with her? Why? Why does she have such a strong connection to you Eve?” Elena takes a drink and watches Eve trace the tips of her finger along her glass.

“She said I’m like her…a psychopath I guess” Eve says and lets out a loud scoff before draining her half full glass. “You know what, maybe I am. Maybe all the things I’ve felt are just fake and I’ve practiced being a good wife and friend all along. Maybe I’m just a liar. I killed a guy, with an axe. It was so…wet” Eve stops, realizing her voice has gotten louder and Elena reaches over and touches her hand gently.

“Who?” she asks, and Eve turns to the bar, orders another drink and waits while it’s poured before answering the question. She drinks deeply again and wipes her mouth on her hand.

“Raymond. One of The Twelve’s handlers” she says, and Elena can’t hide the shock on her face.

“Jesus Eve. They’re going to be after you for sure. Has Carolyn offered protection? Is Niko safe?” Eve lets out a laugh and says “Niko is somewhere, they won’t tell me. Witness protection apparently.” She runs her hands through her hair and gently teases out a knot with her fingers.

“I really should have conditioned” she says softly, and the image pops up of those two words.

‘Sorry Baby x’

“She was in my house” Eve says as they walk back to the office and Elena lets out a noise of concern.

“You need protection Eve. I honestly think you should go into witness protection” Elena says as she opens the door to the new office building. A nothing space, an ordinary brick building with a few windows splattered across the brown bricks.

“There’s another thing Elena” she says stopping in front of the life and she grips onto her friends arm. “She’s still killing, Kenny and Hugo have been following her. She has records of people on witness protection. I think she’s going to kill Niko” she says softly and watches as Elena takes in this information.

“We need to find that bitch and put her down” Elena says as the lift dings and the doors open. They travel to the third floor in silence, Elena taking moments to glance at her friend and taking stock of how bad she really looks.

“I think she wants to kill me” Eve says as they exit and walk towards the two double doors at the end of the short hallway.

“What would she get out of killing you Eve?” Elena says holding the door open and they walk in, the only sounds are coming from Kenny as he taps on his keyboard and the squeak of Hugo’s chair as he spins in it.

“She wanted me to run away with her. To go to Alaska, she wants a normal life” Eve says softly, and Elena can’t help but let out a soft noise at this.

“Can she have a normal life? I mean she’s killed how many people and what? Wants to go home to her wife after and watch bad tv and cuddle?” her tone is incredulous and it’s appropriate, but Eve can’t stop the frown that forms on her face.

A part of her wished that for Villanelle, but not with her, she couldn’t ever accept her for what she was or be okay with what she had done.

***

Villanelle repositions the brown wig on her head and turns in front of the mirror, her suit jacket flowing around her hips as she takes in the look. Shoulder length brown hair in a half pony tail, pinstripe jacket, white tee, and dark green pants, sensible heels; easy to run in if the need arose. She picks up her phone and checks the time; Eve would have started back at MI 6 two hours ago. She would have cried and talked about her horrible time in Rome. Lamented about the psychopath who forced her to kill and then asked her to run away with her. Her face is blank, and she watches as her mind rushes through the thoughts and tries to conjure up the emotion she felt when she pulled that trigger and shot eve. The woman she loved…

“Loved” she says softly, and she presses her lips together. She frowns and walks out of the hotel room, slamming the door shut and causes a nearby housekeeper to jump in fright. Once outside she pulls out her phone and sees three missed calls and two voice messages, all from Lara. She considers tossing the phone, but she doesn’t and instead listens to the messages as she hails a cab and gives an address to the driver.

“Oksana, you have to believe me. I was sent to kill you, but I wouldn’t have, I couldn’t kill you.” Her voice is desperate, and Villanelle can’t help but think how pathetic it sounds coming from such a strong woman, someone who was paid to kill, just like her.

“They want you dead. Eve is walking into a trap, if she goes back to MI6, they will kill her” Villanelle’s brow creases again and she thinks she needs to invest in an anti-wrinkle cream if she keeps frowning like this. She dials Lara’s number but the call rings out, she tries again immediately and waits, this time it connects and is met with the sound of a man saying “What?” in Russian.

“Where is Lara?” she asks in English but doesn’t get a response, so she asks in Russian and the man replies

“Ah, you are her?” Villanelle is confused and response with “Da” she waits, and the man finally says “She gave me this phone a few hours ago, told me that you would call, and she wanted me to tell you, I love you” he ends the call and an ice-cold hand grips Villanelle’s throat. Despite her possible betrayal, Lara had said if they were ever in trouble, they should have a message that they must get to the other girl and they would know she was in trouble.

‘I love you’

Villanelle had whispered those words in her sleep as she dreamed of Eve last night, when her face drifted between Lara and Eve and she couldn’t remember who it was that she truly wanted with her. Eve made her weak, Lara made her strong. She killed her own brother, not that she had known him, but he had the information she needed and as her and Lara had sex she had looked down at his dead eyes when she came. The panties in his mouth were a gift, she wanted Eve to know she wasn’t alone and that there was someone truly like her. The taxi stops in front of a small group of four flats, Eve’s is the top left and Villanelle can see the blinds are open this time; unlike a day ago when she had snuck in and left her message for Eve. She pays the driver and opens the door as a young woman, maybe twenty, waves her hand to stop the taxi from leaving. Villanelle shuts the door and the woman stares at her watching the taxi pull away from the curb and back onto the road. The woman stares daggers at Villanelle, but she simply shrugs her shoulders and says in a perfectly posh British accent

“Oh sorry, did you want that taxi?” and she watches as the girl spits out words of abuse and she simply smiles as she walks towards the stairs and takes them two at a time. She quickly picks the lock on Eve’s door and lets herself in, the air is musty, like the place had been closed up for a while. She wanders around the unopened boxes, with scrawled labels on them and runs her finger tips along the bench top as she takes in Eve’s life now. There are no pictures, no ornaments, nothing to suggest a person with friends and family lived her. She walks into Eve’s bedroom and shakes her head at the unmade bed and clothes on the floor. Clearly Eve wasn’t taking much pride in herself at the moment; maybe she needed someone to remind her she is special again, Villanelle thinks as she walks into the tiny bathroom and her face drops at the sight of the shower and bench space.

“Oh Eve, how can you live like this” she says softly to herself as she opens the mirrored cupboard and see a few pill bottles and perfume. She picks up one bottle of pills and knows it is medication for anxiety and depression; in prison they had tried to give her all sorts of medication to control her moods or make her feel more, but nothing ever worked. The only thing they did was suppress her sex drive which caused her great anguish. It took almost a month for the effects to wear off and to actually be able to achieve an orgasm.  


She walks out of the bathroom and back into the small kitchen where she opens cupboards and searches for a mug, or glass, when she finds a mug, she takes this and looks in Eve’s refrigerator. She finds it almost bare, except something that looks like cheese and a bottle of Moet champagne. She smiles and pulls the bottle out and opens it, pouring some into the mug. She walks into the tiny living room, only big enough for the two-seater couch, small bookcase and tv unit on the opposite wall. She looks over the books in the case, several on criminal psychology, a few romance novels and Eve’s collection of DVD. She spots a theme and can’t help but smile as she pulls out ‘Casino Royal’ and sees Eve has an extensive collection of James Bond films. She puts the DVD in and finds the remote under a cushion and settles in, sipping Eve’s champagne, watching spy movies and waiting for Eve to return home. Maybe if she was feeling particularly nice, she would cook her dinner!

***

Villanelle is on her third mug of champagne and third movie, ‘From Russia, with love’ is playing softly in the background when she hears the click of a lock and her eyes shoot open. Eve is home. Shit, she didn’t want their meeting to be like this. She grabs the TV remote and fumbles with the power button, but the TV doesn’t respond, instead the volume increases, and she lets out a noise of frustration as she bangs it on her hand and tries again but the TV simply stays on. She hears footsteps, slow footsteps and it seems like an age before Eve turns into her living room and her eyes take in the sight of the assassin fumbling with her TV remote.

Villanelle holds up the remote and says, “This is shit” and Eve shrugs her shoulders saying

“Yeah, it takes a bit of work. The Volume button turns the TV off by the way. Wait are you watching James Bond?” Eve asks raising her eyebrows as the title screen of the DVD shows up.

“Hmm yes, this one is my favourite” Villanelle says as she presses the volume button and the TV finally turns off.

“So, what are you doing here?” Eve says as she drops her bag and pulls her shoes off, her actions are so normal that Villanelle is slightly taken aback. She had thought about this moment for almost two months and now it was happening she is shocked by Eve’s nonchalant reaction to her being here.

“You are not surprised to see me?” she asks as she follows Eve into the small kitchen and sees the open bottle of champagne and pulls out a mug and pours herself a glass.

“No” she says after taking a drink and watches Villanelle. “You look different” Eve says, as her eyes take her in. Her hair is flat and almost dull, her eyes are dark and there are deep rings around them. Her cheekbones are more pronounced, like she has lost weight. “You look like shit actually” Eve says with a snicker and Villanelle watches her for a moment before shaking her head saying,

“Well I haven’t been sleeping that well lately” Eve takes a moment to respond but she doesn’t speak, she pulls off her coat, then her jumper and tosses them on the floor. Villanelle watches her, her hazel eyes not moving from Eve’s deep brown ones.

Eve unbuttons her shirt and pulls her left arm out, wincing slightly as she does it. Villanelle’s eyes widen as she realizes Eve is showing her what she did to her. Eve tries not to get affected by Villanelle’s sudden changes, she licks her lips then pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. Her eyes become more alert and, in this moment, Eve sees that hunger, that predatory nature slipping into Villanelle’s blank mask.

She moves forward, quicker than Eve anticipates and wraps her arm around Eve’s waist and pushes her back against the sink. Eve lets out a small noise as her back hits the hard wood and feels her pulse quicken as Villanelle holds her tight, almost too tight. She looks into Eve’s eyes before they drift down to her shoulder and she lavishes the newly scaring skin with a look so intense Eve swears she can feel the scar throbbing. She lets out a soft gasp when Villanelle leans closer and her breath tickles her skin and then she leans in all the way and places her lips on the scar and Eve can’t stop the growing arousal inside herself.

She feels Villanelle’s soft lips place feather light kisses all over the scar before she looks back up at Eve and sees something in her eyes. “I know you still want me, don’t you Eve” she says softly and god that accent is not helping the situation. Eve Shifts, trying to put some space between them but it doesn’t work because Villanelle is stronger and faster and better at this. Instead she brings them closer and her leg presses hard between Eve’s and she hopes to god Villanelle can’t feel how wet she is. “

You shot me. Why would I want anything from you?” Eve manages to say, and she feels the hand around her waist tighten and another hand moves her up onto the edge of the sink, so she is sitting but still being held tightly by Villanelle.

“You promised to give me everything, all you give me now is headaches” Villanelle says, and Eve laughs at this.

“I give you headaches, Jesus if that’s the worst of it then why are you here?” Eve’s voice is forceful, and this takes Villanelle a little by surprise.

“Wow Eve. This post murder look is good on you” Villanelle says as she releases her and moves away; she needs space, needs to get Eve’s scent out of her head, the perfume, the arousal she knew was there. She walks around the small island bench and watches as Eve lowers herself down and fixes her shirt and buttons. “I need your help” Villanelle says and if Eve is intrigued by this, she hides it well. She drinks her champagne and waits a minute before responding.

“What the fuck would I help you?” she says, and Villanelle lets out a tsk.

“Language Eve” she says “The twelve have something of mine and I want it back” her voice betrays her face, one is stony the other is soft, delicate and hurt.

“Ha” Eve lets out a laugh and moves around the bench pointing at Villanelle “You ruined my life! I don’t know where my husband is, I’ve lost everything because of you! And you think you can just show up here after putting a bullet in me asking for help?” Eve is yelling now; her voice is loud, and her eyes are streaming with tears. Villanelle watches as the tears fall freely from Eve’s eyes and she wonders what it feels like for her, right now in this moment.

“What are you feeling?” she asks, and Eve shakes her head and wipes her tears with both hands; she runs her fingers through her hair and lets out a noise of exasperation.

“I’m feeling pissed off, I’m feeling angry, I feel sad and upset” she takes a breath and lets out a laugh before saying “I feel happy that I’m seeing you here” and this causes Villanelle to smile and she reaches out and Eve doesn’t recoil, she comes towards her and looks up at her.

“Do you still think about me?” Villanelle asks softly and before she can answer Eve’s phone rings and they both turn to look at it with a murderous glint in their eyes.


	9. Too much information...

The call was brief and while Eve talked quietly Villanelle watched her; watched her facial expressions, watched her lips forming the words and how her brow creased when the other person on the line said something she didn’t like or agree with. Once the call is over Eve turns to Villanelle, who is staring at her with an eyebrow raised.

“Have you had contact with Konstantin?” Eve asks as she places the phone face down on the bench.

Villanelle pulls a face as if she is thinking and says “Who?” and Eve’s shoulders drop, and she rolls her eyes.

“Can you not be a dick for five minutes please?” Eve’s voice is flat, and Villanelle senses her frustration.

“Not really. He came to my apartment a few days ago, told Lara to leave and gave me a job to do” she says as she wanders around the house and doesn’t notice her error until it’s too late.

“Who is Lara?” Eve asks, her interest piqued at this bit of information. “Is she the one who was with you when you killed your brother?”

Villanelle stops and turns to Eve, she gives her a look as if to say well done and claps her hands. “And here I thought you weren’t obsessed with me anymore” She walks closer to Eve and leans in, Eve doesn’t move, she tries to be stone, tries not to feel but she can’t deny the feeling that intense gaze gives her.

“Yes, she was. Did you get the present I left you?” Villanelle asks and she reaches out and gently runs a finger along Eve’s jaw.

“Why did you do that?” Eve asks, her voice betrays her, and she cannot hide the glimpses of fear and growing arousal inside her.

“I wanted you to know I wasn’t alone. I wanted you to know I found someone just like me” she says, and she leans in even closer. Their breath mingles and she can smell Eve’s perfume and shampoo. “She needs my help, the twelve have her and they will torture her and kill her if I do not find her” as she says this Villanelle’s voice breaks slightly and Eve watches her face trying to portray the emotions she is feeling.

“Who is she?” Eve asks, almost scared of the answer, scared to know that she wasn’t special to Villanelle anymore, scared that Villanelle had found someone who was just like her but could have some kind of normal life with. Someone to go home to after work and cuddle and watch movies together after killing their targets.

“Are you jealous Eve?” Villanelle asks, her voice is now its usual calm tone and Eve shakes her head. She knows it’s a lie and so does Villanelle who simply laughs at her. She moves away and Eve takes a breath, deep and long and runs her fingers through her hair.

“The Twelve are going to put you as a target soon, Konstantin is trying to find out when, but they don’t trust him so much anymore after he went freelance and worked with the British. Lara was sent to kill me, instead, we had lots of sex and worked my targets together. I don’t know what they are up to, but I do know that we don’t have much time before they will kill her, and I don’t want her to die” Villanelle paces in Eve’s small living room as she talks and Eve watches and thinks as she does this.

“Do you know where they would take her?” Eve asks, her brain already trying to find a way to get into Russia without anyone spotting them and where they can stay.

“I have a few ideas, but It’s not going to be easy to get in without being noticed. I need a new passport and documents to get in; from there I can use Konstantin and his contacts, but it will put him and his annoying daughter and fat wife in danger if he is found out to be helping me” Villanelle is stopped by a hand reaching out to hers and Eve pulls her closer to her.

“I’ll help you. Anyway, I can. But I need to know…” Eve pauses and takes a breath; Villanelle’s stare is intense and unavoidable. “Do you still feel the same way about me?” Eve asks so softly that she hopes Villanelle doesn’t hear her, but she does, and she reaches up to cup Eve’s face with both hands. She looks over Eve’s face, taking in her eyes, her nose and mouth like she is committing it to memory.

“Eve,” she says softly “I don’t have those kinds of feelings” she takes her hands-off Eve’s face and Eve watches as she turns away and laughs. She laughs for a few seconds before turning back to Eve saying “Did you know Lara and I went to school together. We had sex behind the administration building” she raises an eyebrow, waiting for Eve’s response but she simply takes her mug and drains it before putting it down. Villanelle smiles at her and Eve feels something bubble in her chest, anger, hatred, lust…

“You’re an asshole” Eve says and grabs her phone and pushes past Villanelle and walks upstairs, shutting her bedroom door hard.

***

Eve emerges from her bedroom an hour later, fresh from the shower, her hair washed and conditioned and dressed in a comfortable tee shirt and track pants. “Villanelle?” she calls down as she descends the stairs but is met with silence. She looks around the apartment but finds no sign of her, she lets out a sigh and walks over to the kitchen counter where she sees a hand-written note on the back of her electricity bill. It’s a room number, 201, at the Bulgari Hotel in London and a time, 8 pm tomorrow. Eve can’t contain the smile on her face as she picks up her phone and calls the hotel. She asks for a bottle of their most expensive champagne to be sent to room 201 along with a note saying ‘I still think about you all the time’ With this done, Eve turns on the TV and starts the movie from the beginning and she settles in on the couch hugging a cushion and trying desperately not to think about the blonde assassin who was once again taking over her life.

***

“Room service”

Villanelle huffs and walks over to the door, dressed only in the hotel robe, her hair still wet from the shower and a scowl on her face from her inability to masturbate without Eve’s stupid words popping into her mind.

“I didn’t order any room service” she barks as she pulls the door open and sees a young man holding a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket.

“We had a call, a friend asked for this to be sent up, there’s a note as well,” he says and Villanelle stares at him as he fumbles holding the tray with one hand and passes her the note with the other. She takes it and ushers him in, pointing to the table and he dutifully places the tray down and turns as she is reading the note.

“Hmm, well then. What is your name?” she asks tucking the note into the pocket of her robe and he looks up at her, his blue eyes trying to not look at the exposed skin of her neckline and chest.

“Henry,” he says quietly and shifts awkwardly under her gaze.

“Thank you, Henry. Are you working tomorrow night?” she asks, and he nods his head still avoiding her gaze.

“I have a guest coming tomorrow, please let her straight up to my room”

Henry nods his head and she waves to the door and he quickly ducks his head and says “Yes ma’am” as he walks out and shuts the door behind him.

Villanelle pops the champagne and pours a glass as she walks back to the bedroom and climbs on king size bed, she pulls out the card again and reads the words aloud.

“I still think about you all the time” she imitates Eve’s accent and as she lets the words drift over her, she smiles and feels a thud deep between her legs. Champagne forgotten, she tosses the note on the floor and opens her robe, the cool air turns her nipples hard and she feels the wetness forming between her legs. Maybe, her evening was taking a turn for the better!

***

The next day…

“You alright Eve? You seem a bit on edge?” Elena asks as she watches Eve from her desk. She is clicking a pen and staring blankly at her computer screen.

“I’m fine” Eve says quickly, not looking up and places the pen down next to her phone. She hadn’t looked at it since this morning since she had received a message that sent a shiver down her back and another feeling deep inside her stomach.

_‘Thanks for helping me let go last night’_

She had read and reread the message at least ten times that morning and refused to look at her phone again. She knew Villanelle was toying with her, she knew she was getting caught up in her bullshit games again, a part of her was screaming to stop, but another part, a stronger part was desperate to be near her. Sure, Villanelle was a trained killer and had shot her, but there was still that ever-present pull that caused all rational to flee her body and mind and the only thing that made her feel anything was being in her aura.

“Kenny?” Eve barks loudly and he jumps in his chair.

“Yes” he responds, his eyes wide and back straight as a plank.

“I need to talk to you,” Eve says softer this time and gets up from her chair and pulls on her coat. “Follow me” she instructs, and she watches as he nods his head, carefully looks over at Elena and she nods at him. He pulls on his jacket and follows behind Eve as she walks with purpose to the doors and waits at the elevator.

They ride the three floors in silence, Eve glancing over at him thoughtfully and watching him stand very still next to her. The ride to the basement floor and Eve walks out into the basement and notices a musty, wet smell. The bricks are damp and the sound of the water system hisses as they walk further in.

“No one can hear us down here right?” Eve asks as she looks around for cameras.

“No, I don’t think anyone even comes down here, unless the hot water goes out,” Kenny says, and Eve notices he is relaxing just a tiny bit.

“I need your help, I know you’re going to say no when you hear it, but I don’t really have many options here” Eve is talking quickly, and she feels her pulse racing in her ears. “I need passports, and documents to get into Russia” as she says this his face turns hard and she wishes there was anyone else in the world who could help her other than him.

“She’s here, isn’t she? In the UK” he says, and Eve simply nods. He lets out a deep breath and rubs the back of his neck. “Are you in love with her?” he asks, and the questions almost takes Eve’s breath away. She lets out a loud laugh, and her face shows an expression of shock at this outrageous question.

“Love! God no. she’s got a friend, a girlfriend; in Russia. The twelve took her and they are going to kill her. She wants our help to get her and then we can use them to take down the twelve” Eve’s voice is low and doesn’t match the look of shock still stuck on her face. She pulls out her hair tie and runs her fingers through her hair and begins to pull it back up into a bun.

“Okay,” Kenny says, and Eve stops mid-way through her bun and her hand's drop.

“Good,” she says and holds out her hand for Kenny to shake; he looks at it for a second before shaking her hand.

“I’m not doing this for her. I don’t care what happens to her. I want you to promise that once this is over, she gets…put down” his voice is soft yet there is a hard edge that causes Eve to look up at him curiously.

She takes a moment to contemplate this and lets his hand drop from hers as she says “Of course. It’s what needs to happen” She tries to make it sound convincing and Kenny seems to be happy with this. He turns and walks back towards the lift and presses the call button, he turns back to Eve who hasn’t moved and raises an eyebrow.

“I just need a minute,” she says as the lift doors open and Kenny shrugs and walks in, he watches Eve as the doors close and once his stare is gone Eve lets out a deep breath and finishes tying up her hair.

“Oh Jesus,” she says and lets out a nervous laugh as she pulls out her phone and dials the last number in her call list.

“Hey, he agreed” She listens to the person on the other end. “Yes, yes. I told him the truth. He wants her put down after” she says in a sarcastic tone and laughs. “I know; it’s not going to be easy. But so long as we can keep her focused and on the task it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Eve ends the call and pockets her phone before taking one last breath and almost tastes the musty air. She walks to the lift and waits for the lift to reach her floor and walks in with a look of determination on her face.

***

Villanelle sits at Café Paradiso on the Thames and sips her espresso. She feels relaxed; it helps that the sun is shining and the warmth feels good on her skin. She is dressed in a black flowing jumpsuit and comfortable pumps. Her hair is tied in a simple ponytail and her Burberry sunglasses sit on top of her head. She likes to watch people go about their days, the normality of it. Getting up and going to work, buying coffee, business meetings at restaurants for lunch and then the rush trying to get home to loved ones and kids or just the peace of home. She thinks that maybe she could enjoy that, a normal life, with a family to go home to, or maybe just someone to go home to.

She watches a mother and her young son as he runs ahead of her and chases a pigeon, he laughs like a maniac and Villanelle can’t help but smile at the sound. She watches as he tries to catch the birds, his arms reaching out and his little legs running hard. His mother tells him to slow down but he doesn’t, and in a flash, he is face-first on the ground, a scream erupting from his little mouth and Villanelle lets out a loud barking laugh at the sight of the screaming toddler. The table nearby, an elderly couple, turn and look at her with a somewhat horrified look on their face and she simply stares back at them. Her pupils dilated, her mouth set in a straight line and her mind realizing she couldn’t have a normal life. Laughing at hurt children was not a normal thing to do. She finishes her espresso and leaves a ten pound note on the table under the cup before walking past the table closest to her and says “Laughter is the best medicine, even if it’s at a clumsy, fat child” her accent is thicker when she is like this, when her mind can’t stop the thoughts and she has no power to stop them from coming out. The elderly couple looks at her with equally shocked expressions and she smiles and walks away as she hears one of them say “What a monster”

Villanelle wonders through Carnaby Street for an hour or so before boredom slips in and she takes out her phone and navigates to her messages and decides to text Eve.

**Unknown 12.23pm**

‘What are you doing? London is boring’

**Eve 12.30pm**

‘Working! How did you get this number?’

**Unknown 12.32pm**

‘I’m very good at my job. You know this. Leave work, come eat ice cream with me at La Gelateria. Did you know they have a mushroom gelato? Weird!’

**Eve 12.40**

‘Did you need something? I’m working’

**Unknown 12.41**

‘You, I need you’

Villanelle doesn’t get a response to this and in a huff throws her Porcini chocolate cream gelato on the sidewalk and hails the nearest taxi. She gets in and says, “Take me to the Bulgari hotel and I will pay you double for not talking to me”. The driver simply nods and takes off without a word.

***

By five o’clock Eve is more than ready to shut her computer down and leave for the day. It had been somewhat successful. Kenny was working on the passports for her and Villanelle and their necessary travel documents to get them into Russian. She had searched the MI6 database of known Russian military and ex KGB training grounds and found a few possible locations the Twelve might be using. Konstantin had given extensive information during his time working with the British and of course, Carolyn had noted it all down. He gave a few locations of interest, details on how he got the postcards they used to notify their assets of their next targets and how their assets got their hands-on weapons. It was a secretive process and involved a lot of non-contact between the keepers, handlers and assets.

She is staring at the screen with images of Villanelle’s last known kill, her brother who had been in witness protection right here in London. She wonders if it was Villanelle or Lara that had slit his throat; if they had sex right there. Villanelle hadn’t said so, but Eve knows she did, she almost seemed happy mentioning Lara; like there was a deep connection there. Something that Eve could never have with her.

“Coming out for a drink Eve?” Hugo asks and she snaps back to reality and quickly closes the image and turns to see Hugo right next to her smiling with a smug grin.

“No, I…I have some unpacking to do still,” Eve says and tries to put some distance between herself and Hugo. He follows her with his eyes and watches as she shuts her computer off and picks up her phone and coat.

“Your loss. First rounds on me” he says as she pulls on her coat and looks outside as the beautiful sunny day is drifting away into a cool night. Eve lets out a sigh and turns to Hugo.

“One drink, then I have to…”

“Yes, we know you have to unpack. Come on Eve, you’ve been in that apartment for almost a month” Elena says and rolls her eyes.

“I know, I’ve been busy” Eve says as the three of them walk towards the doors, as Kenny rushes through the hallway and stops at the doors.

Elena opens them and says “Kenny! Coming for a drink then?”

“Ah no, actually I just wanted to…um…I’ll just text you Eve. Is your number still the same?” Kenny says and fidgets with the phone in his hand.

“No, I changed it,” Eve says as Elena presses the call button for the lift; Eve doesn’t notice the quizzical look she gives Hugo as they watch him and Eve together.

“Here, put it in,” Kenny says as he hands her his phone. Eve types in her number and hands the phone back to Kenny. “Thanks, I’ll text you later,” he says softly before walking past her and heads back into the office.

***

Eve is partway to being drunk, she knows it, Elena knows it and Hugo definitely knows it. She’s currently leaning forward on the table holding her half undone shirt open so Hugo can examine the scar on her shoulder.

“Jesus!” he says, and she feels his breath on her skin and her mind goes back to Villanelle’s lips brushing her skin there and she wants to feel that again; that, and so much more.

“I can’t believe she just left you there to die,” Elena says between sipping her gin and tonic.

“Did I tell you she told me she loved me?” Eve says, she’s on her fourth drink, after not eating all day and the effects of the alcohol were amplified because of that.

“I knew it” Hugo bellows and slaps the table, causing their drinks to shuffle. “She’s got it bad for you! What’s it like? Having a murderous psychopath in love with you Eve?” he asks, his eyes twinkling, and she can’t help but think about that night in Rome. She’d used him and he knew it, he knew that she felt things for Villanelle.

“It’s terrifying. She did shoot me after telling me that” Eve says loudly and a nearby group look over after hearing their conversation.

“She means it figuratively,” Elena says, and the three men simply nod and smile before going back to their conversation.

“Well, I’ll be glad when this is all done with and she’s caught,” Elena says as she drains her glass and thumps it loudly on the table. “Whose round is it?” she says and Hugo points at Eve.

“No, I got last round. It’s definitely Hugo’s!” she says, and he simply rolls his eyes and says, “Only for you ladies” and walks to the bar.

“I’m going to the loo” Eve announces, and she makes her way, a little wobbly to the bathroom. Once inside she stands in front of the mirror and looks at herself. Her eyes are glassy, her skin is dull, and her hair is a mess. She tries to fix her hair and splashes water on her face and as she is drying her hand, she hears her phone ringing. She pulls it out and sees the number is unknown.

“Hello Eve”

God, that accent!

“Villanelle” Eve says, trying to slow her pulse that had suddenly picked up and keep her voice even and steady.

“You didn’t forget about our date, did you?” Villanelle asks, her voice mimicking hurt, and Eve can picture the exaggerated look on her face.

“No, I didn’t, I just…drinks after work,” she says, and she hears Villanelle click her tongue.

“Fine, you will be here hmm?” she asks, and Eve feels s shiver run down her spine.

“Yes” Eve manages to say, and the bathroom door opens and a young woman with bleached blonde hair walks in and smiles at Eve who had jumped in surprise.

“Good. I will see you soon” Villanelle says and ends the call.

Eve takes a deep breath and tries to steady her nerves. “One drink,” she says mocking herself.


	10. That was all you...

** That was all you… **

Villanelle waits on the couch, she is freshly showered and dressed in nothing but the red and black robe she had bought for Lara. It still smelt like her, a rich smell of citrus and spices mixed with her own unique smell. Villanelle cracks her knuckles with her thumb on her right hand as her mind drifts into thoughts of Lara’s betrayal and how Villanelle had let her guard down with this trained killer, yet she had not killed her like she was sent to do.

“Why didn’t she kill me?” Villanelle mumbles to herself, musing over the thought as two sharp knocks on the door pull her mind back into a comfortable void. She walks slowly to the door and opens it.

Eve’s hair is a little messy, but there is something enticing about it and Villanelle has to stop her hands from reaching up and getting caught in those curls. She smells like alcohol and from the lopsided smile on her face, Villanelle knows she is a little drunk.

“Did you have another party without me Eve?” she says as she opens the door fully and motions for Eve to come in. “Drinks after work. Did you know Elena is back working at MI6? I’m so happy she’s back, god I missed her” Eve says, and Villanelle watches her curiously as she walks into the hotel room and pulls her coat off and tosses it on to the couch along with her bag and looks around the hotel. “I don’t know who that is,” Villanelle says flatly, and Eve takes little notice of the lack of anything in her voice.

“This room is incredible,” Eve says, mostly to herself as she walks around and touches the dark wooden furniture, it feels rich and smooth; _Just like villanelle feels…_ The thought shocks her and she stops in her tracks and crosses her arms across her chest. She turns and sees Villanelle watching her with a curious look on her face; almost as if she knew what Eve was thinking.

“Why am I here?” Eve says finally and she watches as Villanelle strides across the room and opens the mini-fridge and pulls out a bottle of champagne and takes two mugs off the bench. She walks over to the living room and places the mugs and champagne down as she sits on the plush leather couch. She stays silent as she opens the bottle and it makes a soft pop as she releases the cork. She pours it into the mugs and places the bottle back down before turning to Eve and pats the couch saying “Sit”

Eve follows the instruction and flops down on the couch and sinks into it. “God this couch is amazing. Do you think I could steal it?” she says as she takes the mug Villanelle is offering her. “I will buy you a much better couch for your tiny apartment,” she says, and Eve believes her, she’s that convincing and confident in everything she does, it's hard to not believe everything that comes from that beautiful mouth.

“You shot me. Why did you do it?” Eve asks as she stares at the mug in her hands before turning and placing the mug on the table and watches Villanelle who has stiffened slightly in her posture. Her lips are a straight line and Eve watches as Villanelle cracks her knuckles with her thumb. “Why did you stab me?” she says, her voice cold like ice and Eve feels it against her skin. It causes goosebumps and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She’s in a hotel with an assassin and no one knows she’s here.

“I asked you first,” Eve says defiantly, and Villanelle lets out a loud laugh and muses over her answer. “You hurt my feelings,” she says softly and looks at Eve, there is something in her eyes, although Eve knows she is being a dick, there is still something there. Vulnerability maybe?

“Really?” Eve asks as she stands from the couch and runs her fingers through her hair. She shakes her head and laughs at this ridiculous situation. “I know that’s not true” Eve says, and her voice is hard as she stares at Villanelle, coaxing her, trying to push for a real answer. Villanelle drinks the rest of her champagne and places the cup on the table, she stands from the couch and pats down a crease in her silk robe and turns her attention back to Eve, who is standing still and watching her with an exasperated look on her face.

“This is ridiculous. I don’t know why I said I would help you. I must be a sucker for punishment” she says as she strides over to the bench and picks up her coat and handbag, she pulls her coat on but doesn’t get a chance to put her bag on as a hand reaches around and tosses it across the room.

“Really?” Eve says before she feels herself being pushed against the nearest wall and she lets out a noise as her body thuds against the hard surface. A hand is on her shoulder, holding her in place and she feels another snake up her torso and stops at her neck, long fingers wrap around her neck and she reaches up and holds Villanelles wrist gently. The pressure on her neck isn’t tight, it's enough to cause her to feel slightly breathless but that could also be the soft breath on her lips that smells rich and exotic. If Eve leans forward just a bit she could taste those lips. Villanelle’s eyes are on her, watching how she is reacting, and she must notice a change in her face as she smiles and says

“Do you like this Eve? Is it turning you on? Getting choked by someone who could kill you. You like this don’t you?” her voice is menacing and there is anger behind her words.

Her eyes are wide and there is a predatory look in them that should be causing Eve to fight, to pull her off and stop this; but she can’t, so she moves her fingers and they slide over Villanelle’s silky-smooth skin and then something rougher, a scar on her wrist. Villanelle pulls her hand off Eve’s throat roughly and moves back from her, she repositions her shirt and tires to avoid Eve’s eyes which she can manage but Eve reaches out and her hand is cupping Villanelle’s cheek and she can’t avoid those deep brown eyes any longer. Villanelle’s eyes sting and she feels tears brim as she stares back at Eve, a look of concern furrowing her brow.

“Talk to me,” Eve says softly before adding “Be honest” and Eve sees Villanelle’s face twitch like she is fighting the inner urge to say something, but she stays quiet and walks out of Eve’s space and back towards the couch. She sits and pours another glass of champagne, Eve watches and turns to the kitchen area and walks over and pours a glass of water. The events had sobered her up, but she felt ill and needed something in her stomach other than gin and champagne. She fills the glass and drinks it down before refilling it and taking it back with her to the couch and sits down, she feels Villanelle’s gaze on her and as she moves, first placing the glass down then turns to her and reaches forward with one hand, she cups her cheek again and runs her thumb along her face as she looks into her eyes.

“Tell me everything,” she says softly, her voice is low, and it seems to affect Villanelle as her eyes dart away for a moment before they fall back on Eve and she takes a shallow breath before saying “Okay.”

***

Lara is used to pain, she can’t remember a day when she had not felt some kind of pain, be it physical or other. She tries to move on the makeshift bed; it’s a rusted metal frame with springs sticking up out of it, the matters smelt so bad that she had pulled it off and lay the rough blanket on top of the base. The cell is damp and smells of death, the concrete floor is stained with blood and piss and shit. There is a toilet, a crude hole in the ground, she had learnt that it didn’t go very deep and was better off doing her business in the corner, she pulled chunks of the matters off to wipe herself and tossed it down the hole. It was disgusting but it could be worse, at least she was still breathing.

She could never tell if it was day or night, there was no light in the cell, only under the door, but that light was always on. She couldn’t gauge how many days it had been, there was no way to tell, but she had counted her meagre meals and was up to twenty-one, so it could be seven days; unless there were days she hadn’t eaten but she can’t remember. The cell is cold, close to freezing, but she could deal with that, it was the constant rounds of torture that were beginning to break her.

First, she was dragged out of the cell, walked down a hallway, turned left then right then straight and into a crude shower block. She was told to strip and given a bar of soap then told to clean herself, the water was never warm, and it trickled out with no pressure, so it was impossible to really ever feel clean. After a minute she is dragged out and taken, naked and wet further down the hallway and tossed into another cell, slightly cleaner than her own but still smelling of death and decay. There is a single chair in the room and bloodied, dirty ropes on the floor. Someone will come into the room, dressed entirely in black, a single light hanging above her head on a string is turned on, illuminating the room in its dull yellow glow. They will tie her to the chair, and it will begin. Sometimes it was just talking and beating, other times they would bring weapons and other instruments with them and they would work her already weeping sores and push her further and further, but she had managed so far to remain silent.

The cell door opens, she sits up and takes a deep breath, today will be no different. She will remain silent, she will take whatever they can give. She will not break.

“прийти”

_‘Come’_

A voice says, and she stands and walks to the door she waits, and a hand grabs her roughly on her arm, squeezing against a particularly nasty bruise that was still quite purple under the skin.

“У вас есть посетитель”

_‘You have a visitor’_

The voice says, clearly male, low and gravely. She looks up curiously at the face covered by a full mask, only the eyes visible. They are blue, she imagines his hair is blonde and would have a nice strong jaw. His lips would be full, and his nose would be slightly off-centre from being broken after playing roughly with an older brother maybe. They walk, his grip tight on her arm and she tries to reposition it by wrenching her arm, but he simply holds tighter. She follows the usual way, but he drags her off to the side and tells her to wait in front of a steel door. He waves up to a camera in the corner and there is a loud click and he pulls the door open. She pushes her through first, and see sees light, real light for the first time in days. He drags her towards a window room, and she sees an older man sitting in the room. She is pulled to a halt and the man pats her down roughly, linger on her breasts and between her legs as he searches for hidden weapons.

“Don’t you have any manners? Ask me out on a date first before you feel me up” she says in English’s and the man laughs before saying replying

“Я бы никогда не встречался с подонками как ты”

‘I would never date scum like you.’

He opens the door and pushes her inside and addresses the man at the table saying

“Она крутая, но я уверена, что она готова говорить”

_‘She’s a tough one, but I’m sure she’s ready to talk’_

Lara walks over to the single table in the room, the man watching her as she pulls out the seat and sits down. Trying to not show signs of pain, but there is a particularly nasty gash on her stomach that causes her to take a hissing breath as she sits, and she instinctively grabs at her side. “Would you prefer to speak English or Russian?” the man asks in Russian and Lara simply stares at him as he raises an eyebrow waiting for her to respond.

“Je ne vais pas parler alors ça ne me dérange pas de toute façon” 

‘_I’m not going to talk so it doesn't bother me either way’_

She responds, and the man lets out a loud boisterous laugh. Lara smiles at his laugh and she takes a shaky breath as the pain in her side begins to subside.

“You recently worked with one of our assets, Villanelle,” he says and Lara watches, keeping her face natural at the mention of the name. “You were asked to exterminate her after what happened in Rome, but you failed. Do you know what we do to our assets who fail?” he says as he leans forward, his eyes are hard, and she knows he is trying to intimidate her. She remains silent and stone-faced, she focuses on her breathing and finds a spot on the wall behind his head, it looks like a chip in the white tile and she stares at it.

“Hmm, maybe it would interest you to know that she is dead?” he says and before she can stop herself she says, “She’s not dead,” He notices the change in her face and she mentally kicks herself for reacting that way, she knew better, was trained better than that. But Villanelle did have a way of throwing her off and causing her to do things she wouldn’t normally do.

“She is,” he says more firmly, and Lara tries to hold her face, but it betrays her, and she lets out a deep breath. “If she’s dead, prove it,” she says, and he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a single photograph he places it on the table and Lara leans forward to look at it.

Her face looks pale, her cheekbones are more prominent, her eyes look as they always do, void and lifeless. There is a neat gunshot wound in the centre of her head, the black hole is stained with blood and behind her head, there are clumps of brain matter and skull fragments. Her eyes trace over the scene, Villanelle is dressed in a dress, with a plunging V down the front, and pearls adorning the V. She looks incredible even though she is dead. Lara can’t take her eyes off the photo and she hears the man speaking but does not catch his words.

“Are you listening?” he says, and she drags her eyes from the image and nods her head. “You have a target. We are giving you a second chance. With Villanelle dead, maybe you can focus on the job at hand hmm?” he says, and she nods her head. He pulls out a postcard and pushes it over to her, she reaches out, but he pulls it back before saying

“Не подведи нас, иначе ты станешь такой, как она!”

_‘Do not fail us or you will end up like her!’_

He pushes the postcard to Lara and she takes it and flips it over, its London. He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a brown paper bag. “Passport, money. Check into the Ritz-Carlton, you have a room under the name on the passport. You will find clothes and weapons there. Your flight leaves tonight” he tosses the bag on the table and the sound of crunching draws her attention and in the wall where she had been looking earlier a door opens and she smiles at this. The man motions to her and she picks up the postcard and paper bag and stuffs them into the front of her track pants.

As she walks to the door she can feel a cool breeze and as she walks through a dimly lit hallway she spies the outside world in front of her. She rushes forward and when she steps outside she takes a deep breath and lets the fresh air fill her lungs and she lets out a laugh. The man points to a waiting motorcycle and someone is waiting for her, holding out a jacket and helmet for her. She pulls the jacket on and is thankful as the air is cold and she pulls the helmet on as the driver starts the motorcycle and waits for Lara to get on. She climbs on the back and holds on tight as the driver pulls away from the curb and takes off down the road.

They ride for about half an hour and the sun begins to dip below the horizon as the bike stops outside the hotel. Lara climbs off and takes the helmet off, handing it back to the driver, who takes it and fastens it to the seat. Lara pulls out the paper bag and checks the contents. Passport for Miss Valentina Markov, around 2500 pounds, a drivers license for Valentina and a plain white card used to get into secure buildings. Lara looks at it puzzled before placing it back and she feels a presence near her. Her driver has removed the helmet to reveal a head of honey blonde hair and Lara has to look twice before she realizes the woman in front of her is not Villanelle. “It’s to get you in the building for your target,” the woman says as she places her helmet on the seat of the motorcycle and walks over to Lara. “Who is the target?” she asks and the woman shakes her head “I don’t know. I’m just a driver” she says motioning to the bike and Lara lets out a small noise. “How is your side?” she asks and if Lara is surprised by this woman knowing of her wounds it doesn’t show on her face. “It hurts, I could probably use a doctor,” Lara says playfully and looks at the woman with a smirk on her face. “How about a nurse?” the woman says in a tone as equally as playful as Lara’s.

Lara looks at the hotel then back at the woman and asks “What’s your name?” the woman leans forward and says “You can call me whatever you like. But first you need a shower, you stink” Lara smiles at her and nods slowly. “Come then, I have a flight later so we don’t have much time.” The woman electronically locks the motorcycle and takes Lara’s hand as they walk into the lobby of the elegant hotel.

***

“You’ve seen a gunshot wound up close, haven’t you Eve?” Villanelle says conversationally from the bathroom and hears Eve let out a dry laugh. “Yes, I’ve seen plenty of your victims,” she says, her tone isn’t scathing as it should be but there is some repulsion towards the question. “How does this look?” Villanelle says motioning to her head, but Eve’s eyes don’t travel there, instead they travel to the dress Villanelle is wearing and the deep plunging V at the front. Her skin is milky white, and the hint of breast is tantalizing; Eve feels her skin heat as her eyes drag over the woman in front of her and miss the bemused smirk on Villanelle’s face.

“Do you like my dress Eve?” she asks, her accent thicker and Eve can’t deny what it does to her. “Ah, what? No… I mean yes. Yes, it’s lovely” Eve replies, trying to form a sentence but struggling desperately. Villanelle lets out a small noise and walks closer to Eve and points to her head, her fingers in a gun shape and she pretends to shoot herself and as she dies she closes her eyes and hangs her tongue out of her mouth.

“Does it look real?” Villanelle asks as she comes back to life and Eve is smiling at her. She watches as Eve moves closer and inspects the wound, it looked real; really real, and Eve marvels at how realistic it was. “I guess you’ve seen plenty of them huh?” Eve comments and Villanelle clicks her tongue and nods her head.

They are close, Eve hasn’t realized how close, but she does note the breath on her skin and the scent of Villanelle. She looks up and sees Villanelle’s eyes are not on hers but on her mouth and she lets out a small noise at the hungry look in her eyes. Eve notices that Villanelle is coming closer and she stands still, her shoulders squared and her arms hanging awkwardly by her sides. She closes her eyes and feels her lips automatically wait for what is to come, but they receive no attention.

Instead Villanelle places the ghost of a kiss on her cheek, barley catching the corner of her lips and as she pulls away Eve comes to life and opens her eyes, her arms move and they pull Villanelle back but this time on to her lips and she lets out a moan as her lips make contact with Villanelle’s.

It has been years since Eve had kissed another woman, it happened in college and she put it down to alcohol and a lot of it. But this time, alcohol has no part in it, well maybe a little boost of courage, but it's not the driving force behind it. Villanelle’s lips are soft, but firm, just like the hips Eve is currently gripping onto, the thin fabric of the dress hides nothing, and Eve can feel the soft, femininity but the strength lying in its wake and its hard for Eve to ignore what it's doing to other parts of her body. Her bottom lip slips between Villanelle’s and she bites down gently and elicits a moan from Eve that is music to her ears. Eve doesn’t push the kiss further and neither does Villanelle, they both kiss, but take nothing more than the other will give. It’s the first time that Eve feels like an equal in Villanelle’s presence.

Villanelle ends the kiss by gently pulling Eve’s lip between her teeth and moving back, Eve’s hands dropping back to their place by her sides and she opens her eyes and shock takes over. “Oh god, oh Jesus. What the hell did you do? Why did you kiss me?” Eve says and Villanelle lets out a laugh as she turns back to the bathroom saying “That was all you sweetheart.”


	11. Dead and gone

** Dead and gone… **

_36hrs earlier_

Villanelle is happy with her work, she looks over the picture and notes the lifeless look in her eyes and how still she is. The photo is in a plastic bag if they decide to dust it for prints only one set will be found. She turns and blows out a deep breath and turns to the two people on the couch.

“Well I guess Villanelle is dead,” she says and lets out a small laugh. “Who do I get to be now?” she says and neither Eve nor Konstantin can answer her. “Great help. I guess I will have to go back Paris and look for another obscure name from a perfume bottle” she says, and Eve lets out a laugh at this and Konstantin turns and looks at her with a frown on her face.

“You need to be careful now. I cannot contact you once I take this to them. You must be a ghost” Konstantin says as he drains the last of his whisky and places the cup on the table. “Don’t do anything stupid!” he says to Villanelle and she smiles up at him and says

“I won’t daddy. I’ll be good, I promise” her voice is childish, and he shakes his head at her and turns to Eve.

“You keep an eye on her. Make sure she stays under the radar” Konstantin says to Eve and she nods her head without a word.

“So this is goodbye hmm?” Villanelle says and she pulls him into an awkward hug, and he lets out a small noise as he returns the hug. “Take care Oksana,” he says softly, and she shakes her head as they part.

“She’s dead too. Maybe I will call myself Eve” she says and hears a loud scoff from behind Konstantin and sees Eve laughing and shaking her head.

“God no. You need something much grander than Eve” she says and elongates her own name just as Villanelle would.

“Oh, I know!” Villanelle says and jumps in glee like a child. She watches her audience and they both wait for her to speak. “Anna,” she says and lets out a small laugh. Konstantin rolls his eyes as he walks past her and picks up the photograph and walks to the door.

“You should get moving soon. Head south, they won’t look for you that way at first.” He says and watches as Villanelle shakes her head.

“Oh no! We are going to Russia. I have someone I need to collect” Villanelle says, and she sees Konstantin’s eyes grow wide.

“No! Don’t be stupid. She is most probably already dead” his voice is loud as he tries to talk sense to her, but Villanelle simply shakes her head.

“Nope, I’m going to get her. She is alive. She’s strong, she won’t break” Villanelle says definitively. Konstantin shakes his head saying,

“Then you will be really dead.” He opens the door and leaves this as the last thing he will ever say to her.

“So what now?” Eve asks after quiet had taken over the room and she began to feel uncomfortable with it.

“Now we wait for your little friend to make our passports and we leave for Russia,” Villanelle says as she walks over to the wardrobe and pulls out a small travel bag. “But first, we need to leave here. I will stay with you at your house, then when the passports are ready we will leave” she says, and Eve lets out a groan saying “I can’t have you at my house! I have a single bedroom apartment the size of this bathroom” her voice is whining, and she knows it’s because she’s tired and struggling to remain conscious. Villanelle is laughing as she packs hurriedly, not caring that she is creasing her clothes; she walks into the bathroom to collect her toiletries and says “This bathroom is much larger than your apartment”

***

Time is a blur and before she knows it, Eve is being pulled into her own apartment by a very cautious Villanelle and being told to sit down while Villanelle walks into the kitchen and begins boiling water in the kettle and searches for mugs and tea. Eve watches as she does this; now dressed in track pants and a baggy jumper, her hair tucked into the back of the jumper and a baseball cap on her head. Eve can’t deny it, she still looked amazing in daggy clothes! Villanelle makes two cups of tea and brings one to Eve and tells her to drink then she can go to sleep. “Where will you sleep?” Eve asks, her voice is soft, and Villanelle can’t help but smirk at her as she sits on the couch next to Eve. “You want to share your bed?” she asks, and Eve lets out a laugh saying “No, I’ve gotten used to sleeping alone” Villanelle shakes her head and sees Eve raise an eyebrow.

“A beautiful woman like you should never have to sleep alone, you should have men and women lining up outside your door for the opportunity to sleep in the same be as you” Villanelle’s voice is silk, pure silk, and it affects Eve just the way she knew it would. First, the mug is placed on the coffee table, then she pounces, needy arms wrap around her neck and Eve is pulling her onto her lips and kissing her hungrily. This time their kiss is different, there is a need in it that forces Eve to push her tongue into Villanelle’s mouth and she is met with her hot tongue and a sensation that causes her to let out a moan as her tongue is pulled into Villanelle’s mouth.

Eve is the one to stop the kiss this time, filled with a feeling of surprise pulling her away from that sinfully good mouth and torturous tongue. “Jesus! I don’t know what came over me” Eve says, her voice breathy and she touches her lips as Villanelle sits back on the couch.

“Eve, you are starved of attention. You really should let go more often. Masturbation is not illegal you know” Villanelle says, her voice light and she shimmies her shoulders as she sees Eve’s horrified reaction.

“I’m going to bed. I’ll get you a blanket” Eve says quickly, she stands and walks through the living room and kitchen and opens a door into a small laundry. She reaches up and pulls down a blanket from the shelf above the washer.

“It’s okay Eve. I won’t be sleeping” Villanelle says, and Eve shakes her head as she walks back into the living room and sees Villanelle hasn’t moved.

“It will be cold” Eve says and hands her the blanket, which she takes and tries to angle her hand to touch Eve’s own, but she moves it away from her reach. “Goodnight Villanelle” Eve says as she turns and hears a soft voice behind her saying “Villanelle is dead. I am nobody now.”

***

Lara is showering again, this time to wash the sweat off her body and the smell of sex. The woman had served a purpose and when they were done Lara had disposed of her with a single shot through the pillow in the back of her head. She collected the sheets from the bed, pillowcases and clothes the nameless woman had been wearing and piled them into a garbage bag she had found under the sink. She washes her hair and lets the warm water run over her for a few minutes before turning off the water and drying and dressing methodically. The clothes provided by the twelve were stored in a suitcase, they were simple, jeans, shirts and a navy bomber jacket. She dresses and takes the garbage bag with the sheets and the woman’s clothes and packs them into the suitcase. She takes the gun they had left for her and tucks it into the back of her jeans and pulls her shirt and jacket over it; checking in the mirror that it was hidden. She takes the money and passport and tucks it inside her jacket, finally, she checks the room and makes sure she hasn’t left anything behind. The only thing left is the laptop, along with the postcard; on the screen is the image of an older woman, short hair and a stern look on her face that gave nothing away. Lara knows who she is, she didn’t need a file on her to know who she was. She was British intelligence and she was a keeper.

The air outside is cool, Lara checks her watch and sees it is 3:37 am, London was two hours behind. She wants to call Villanelle, to tell her she is alive and not to come after her, but she can’t. It’s far too risky. She needs to get out of Russia first.

She walks to the motorcycle and unlocks it and opens the fuel tank. She opens the suitcase and pulls out a bottle she had taken from the hotel and unscrews the cap, she tips the water on to the road before searching in the bag and finds a straw from the Vodka, lime and soda water she had ordered and not drank. She holds the straw carefully in her thumb and forefinger and holds it in the fuel tank. She sucks softly at first and in a second the straw is full of fuel and some is in her mouth, she carefully deposits the fuel into the water bottle and spits the dregs of fuel from her mouth. She only feels a slight burn as she spits again before going back and repeating the process. After doing that twenty or so times and sees she has enough for what she needs. She places the straw into the suitcase and rips part of the sheet off and pushes this into the fuel tank and allows it to soak up the fuel. She pushes the ripped sheet into the bottle before locking the fuel tank and locking the bike. She places the helmet on her head and tucks the keys in her pocket before walking behind the hotel.

She surveys the area and sees a small alleyway behind the hotel. She walks towards it and checks around and sees there is no one is there to witness what she is doing. She places the suitcase into a nearby bin and takes a box of matches from her pocket and places the plastic bottle in the bin, leaving the sheet dangling outside, she strikes a match and lights the end of the sheet. It burns quickly and she moves back as it catches the sheet soaked in fuel and begins to burn stronger now. She watches and makes sure the suitcase begins to burn and when she sees it has caught on, she leaves; walking quickly to the front of the hotel and pulls the keys out for the motorcycle and climbs on. She starts the engine and revs it a few times, enjoying the powerful Ducati’s engine before taking off quickly and rides off.

***

Villanelle spends the night perched on the arm of the couch, watching the windows; periodically surveying the house, ensuring the windows are shut, the doors are locked, and Eve is sleeping soundly. As the sun peaks over the clouds, she hears footsteps and turns to see Eve standing in checked flannelette pyjamas and fuzzy socks; her hair is tied in a messy bun. She looks well-rested which is more than she can say for Villanelle.

“Did you sleep?” Eve asks and Villanelle simply shakes her head and looks out the window, she sees a young couple walking a dog and she watches them until they disappear from view. “Do you like dogs Eve?” she asks, and Eve lets out a laugh as she boils the kettle and rinses out the mugs from last night.

“I don’t have the patience for dogs,” she says, and villanelle lets out a small noise.

“I think I would like a cat, a pretty one, with white fur and blue eyes. Maybe once the twelve are dead I will get one” Villanelle says, she walks away from the window and places the 9mm pistol she had clung to all night, next to her on the kitchen bench. Eve notices the gun but doesn’t comment; she places a mug of black coffee in front of Villanelle and she takes it mumbling “Thank you” and drinks.

“Have you thought of a different name?” Eve asks, watching Villanelle who is looking from her mug, to the gun, to Eve and then outside. Her mind working a mile a minute but her face remaining unreadable.

“No. I’ve had so many, I’m tired of being someone else,” Villanelle says, and Eve lets out a cough at the response and the honesty in her words. “What? I can be honest with you Eve? I think you know me well enough” Villanelle says, and Eve clears her throat and says

“Yes, that’s all I want from you” her voice is rough from coughing and she takes a long sip of her own black coffee and sees Villanelle take her time before saying anything more.

“Oksana is dead, plus she was always dirty and sad and had shitty hair. Villanelle was who I was supposed to be forever. She was my rebirth out of that shithole prison” her voice is soft like she is talking to herself. “I don’t want to be someone else, but I can’t be myself. I don’t know who I am” she says finally, and Eve can’t help but feel her heart tug in pain for this young woman who was lost beyond belief.

Eve walks over to her and Villanelle watches her as Eve takes the cup from her hands and places it on the bench, she takes her hands in hers and brings them to her face. She kisses each hand and says “You can be Villanelle if that’s who you want to be. That’s who I know you as” she hopes her voice is reassuring and confident and makes the younger woman really feel something; she watches as Villanelle’s face runs through a series of emotions and lands on a familiar one, it is one of determination.

She slips her hands from Eve’s and cups her face, she leans in and kisses her quickly on the lips before she stands and says “Yes, you are right. I am Villanelle. The twelve can believe she is dead, but this is who I am.” She gives Eve a toothy grin and says, “I need a towel” and the statement throws Eve almost as much as the kiss had.

“A towel?” Eve asks, her mind working through different scenarios as to why Villanelle would need a towel and skipping the obvious one.

“I am going to shower and then we are going to meet your boy who is making the passports,” she says, and Eve lets out a loud laugh at this.

“Of course, shower. Right, top of the stairs, left side of the cupboard” Eve says as she continues to laugh. Villanelle stares at her and blinks several times before turning and walking upstairs catching Eve yelling up something about not using all her shampoo.

Villanelle appears downstairs thirty minutes later, dressed in jeans, a silk shirt that is more expensive than Eve’s entire wardrobe, including the clothes she has never worn that Villanelle sent her. Her hair is tied in a low ponytail and she smells like Eve’s body wash; which smells more luxurious on her than what it did on Eve.

“I see your fashion sense hasn’t changed? I thought my gifts would teach you something about buying clothes for yourself” Villanelle quips, and Eve looks over what she is wearing; grey skirt, tights, comfortable shoes, white shirt and grey jacket. She pulls on her blue raincoat and sees Villanelle roll her eyes dramatically saying “Why are you dressing for Siberia? It’s the middle of June the weather is nice” her voice is whining again like a child and Eve ignores her as she pulls her coat on and grabs her handbag from the hook by the door.

“You can’t come into the office,” Eve says as they sit on the tube next to each other, Villanelle is scanning again, her eyes taking in everyone nearby, taking in the sounds trying to filter out the nonsense and stalking out the one person who might be following them. She likes the feeling, but she did not enjoy it when Eve was with her; she was the only one who had hurt Eve and she wanted to keep it that way.

“Are you listening?” Eve asks and nudges Villanelle who turns to her briefly and mumbles something. “You have to wait down the street or at a café. I can’t walk into MI6 with a wanted criminal” Eve says, her voice is strained, and Villanelle knows she is nervous. She reaches over and places her hand on Eve’s and gently squeezes it.

“What are you doing?” Eve asks, looking at the hand on her uncomfortably.

“I’m comforting you. You are nervous so I am giving you reassurance that everything will be okay” Villanelle says, she raises her eyebrows and nods her head at Eve. “See, it’s working,” Villanelle says softly, and Eve has to admit that it has helped. Her mind is still, and she is no longer thinking about what’s to come but about the woman half her age next to her, gently rubbing her hand and scanning peoples faces for the potential threat.

Arriving in London during the peak rush to work is new for Villanelle and as she navigates through the heard of people she lets out a loud groan saying “This is shit. Why are there sooo many people around”

Eve laughs at her and says, “This is what it’s like to be normal, you get up, go to your shitty nine to five job and go home to bratty kids and an angry and unsatisfied husband or wife” Villanelle laughs this time, it is overly loud and boisterous.

“If I had a normal life my _wife_ wouldn’t have a boring job, we would spend days in bed having endless amounts of sex, drinking expensive champagne and travelling all over the world”

They stop in front of a small café and Eve points to the door “Off you go. Don’t cause too much trouble” she says, and Villanelle looks inside the café and sees it is just as dull and boring as any other café in the middle of London. She lets out an overly loud laugh saying “I’ll try to keep my hands to myself, but that waitress behind the counter is very attractive. I can’t promise I won’t be naughty” Her eyes remain on Eve as she says this, and she waits for a response but Eve chooses to ignore her.

“Don’t go anywhere” Eve says as she walks away and waves to Villanelle.

“Wait, don’t I get a goodbye kiss?” she yells after Eve, but she is too far away to hear, and Villanelle shakes her head and walks into the café.

***

Lara takes the train from Moscow to St. Petersburg, then from St. Petersburg another train to Helsinki and finally from Helsinki to London. It was the easiest way to travel and she could remain undetected as much as possible. Before she had left Moscow she had returned home, to her family home. She had walked in like she lived there still, her stepmother almost died of shock when she saw her. She went straight to her room, ripped up the floorboard under her bed, grabbed her real passport, more money and her weapon a PP 443. She tossed the gun the twelve had left her in the hole and tucked her own in her waistband. She then picked up a bag put everything into and walked out without saying a word to them. Her father and stepmother yelling after her, but she simply ignored them, like they are speaking a language she no longer knows.

She arrives in London at 1 pm, without any problems. She had managed to sleep for a little while, but her pains were becoming too much, and she knew that the deep gash on her side was infected. She makes her way to the nearest chemist and buys ibuprofen, water, sterile patches and rubbing alcohol, she then finds the nearest McDonalds and heads straight to the bathroom, pushing past a small girl and shuts the bathroom door in her face.

She pulls off her bag and jacket, then opens the rubbing alcohol and pulls up her shirt. It is stuck to her body where the wound is, and she pulls it off as delicately as she can but lets out a small noise of pain as the fabric peels off her sticky skin. The wound is leaking with blood and puss and she knows its infected from the heat radiating off her skin.

She picks up her jacket and bites down on it as she pours the alcohol over the wound and lets out a muffled scream at the pain. She takes a few deep breaths through her nose and pours a little more over to make sure it is sterilized and again lets out a cry in pain. She drops the bottle in the sink and takes the jacket from her mouth and rips open one of the patches and places it over the wound and presses slightly on it to make sure it sticks. Once this is done she pees and washes her hands and her face in cold water before putting her jacket on and grabs her bag. She unlocks the door and as she walks out she sees a puddle of piss just outside and manages to sidestep it and lets out a small laugh as she leaves the restaurant.

She searches for the nearest phone shop and buys a cheap phone and sim card. She sits on a park bench and unboxes the phone and places the sim card in. Once the phone is powered on she dials one of the many numbers stored in her memory and waits, she expects it not to ring. Villanelle should have gotten rid of it after the last time she called Lara’s number and got her message, but it’s ringing and when it connects she hears a woman answer but it is not Villanelle.

“Who is this?” Lara demands and the woman on the other end parrots back to her the same question; her accent is American, and Lara finds it annoying in her ear.

“Where is she?” Lara demands, knowing she should really just hang up but the pain in her side is getting worse, she needs stitches and antibiotics, but she cannot go to a hospital; it would be too easy for the twelve to track her.

“Please, I need to find her…Oksana” Lara says, and she hears the woman’s breath hitch.

“You’re alive. I mean you’re her, Lara?” she asks, her voice louder and more excitable. Lara grunts in response and hears the woman breathing harder as if she is running. “Just hang on. I’m two minutes away from her”

Lara tries to hang on, she really does but the pain in her side is heating her entire body and she feels feverous. “Please” Lara’s voice is faint, she feels like she’s going to be sick.

Her mind goes black as she faints.

***

“So, after I found out he was sleeping with one of the other teachers at the school where he works, I dumped his arse. Got a new flat and started dating a woman twice my age” Villanelle is using what she likes to call, her London posh accent. It’s one she particularly proud of; she had spent many hours practising the accent to make sure it sounded just right.

“I can’t believe he’d do that to you. My god what an idiot” the waitress says, and Villanelle shrugs her shoulders and leans forward saying “I’m having the best sex of my life now though” and the waitress lets out a high-pitched laugh that grates on Villanelle’s ears.

“Hey” a voice calls and the American accent drags her away from the waitress and she smiles at Eve. “Here she is,” Villanelle says, her accent only faltering slightly as she sees the panicked look on her face.

“What?” Villanelle demands in her own accent and Eve pulls her out of the café and onto the sidewalk. “I just had a call, on this phone,” Eve says and holds up a cheap burner phone; the cheap burner phone that Villanelle had forgotten to get rid off after she had called Lara.

“Oh,” Villanelle says softly but Eve doesn’t respond to this and continues talking.

“I spoke to her, Lara. She’s here in London, she sounds hurt. The line went dead” Eve is talking quickly, and her pulse is racing as she tries to think what they can do. The sound of sirens draws their attention and an ambulance race down the street.

“Where is she?” villanelle demands but Eve simply shakes her head and says “The call ended, I think she passed out” she runs her fingers through her hair and lets out a deep sigh.

“Shit” Villanelle says, and Eve notices a look on her face that she has never seen before; genuine concern for another human being. She hadn’t shown that face, not after she shot Eve and not after she returned to Eve’s life.

It’s gut-wrenching and Eve feels sick to her stomach; it was clear, all too clear that Villanelle was toying with her. Whatever this was it wasn’t anything compared to how Villanelle felt towards Lara.

“Do you love her?” the words tumble from Eve and she feels instantly stupid for asking them, but she needs to know, has to know. Villanelle looks at her, shock on her face at the question and she grabs Eve by the arm and pulls her closer to her.

“I don’t love. Can’t love. You know all about psychopaths and their lack of emotions. How can I love when I don’t have feelings?” her voice is like ice, cold and sharp and it cuts Eve to the core. She stays silent and tries to ignore the feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“I need to find her. What can you tell me about the call? What did you hear? Did she say where she was?” Villanelle asks, her voice quick and almost frantic but still under control and Eve welcomes the change of subject.

“Ah… traffic, people, it was busy, lots of noise” Eve stains her mind back, trying to block out the conversation and focus on the other sounds. “Water” she almost yells, and Villanelle nods her head and smiles.

“Trafalgar square!” Villanelle says loudly and she grabs Eve’s arm and whistles loudly and raises her hand and a taxi comes to a screeching halt. She pulls Eve into the taxi and tells the driver to take them to Trafalgar Square.

When they reach the bustling tourist attraction Villanelle lets out a groan at how busy it is. “I hate tourists,” she says softly, and Eve turns to see a look of pure hatred on her face.

Villanelle stuffs the driver's hand with a bunch of notes, not bothering to check how much and is out the door before Eve registers what is happening. “Hey slow down!” she says as she watches Villanelle stride across the square, her eyes scanning for any sign of Lara.

Eve watches as Villanelle walks around quickly, her head turning and looking for anything and then she stops. There is a small group of people hovering around something that is not the fountain, or a statue and Villanelle runs over to see what they are looking at.

“badag-e sonyeoga boibnikka? geunyeoneun jug-eo boyeossda” one of the men says and Villanelle lets out a groan.

“Why didn’t I practice Mandarin more! Irina would laugh at me. Stupid little shit head” she says loudly and lets out another groan as she turns to Eve who is smiling brightly at her. “What?” Villanelle says irritated at her smile.

Eve says nothing, she walks past Villanelle and stops near the group of tourists and says “sillyejiman yeojaga eodilo gassneunji malhae jul su iss-eoyo”

The man turns and speaks to Eve saying “byeong-won-e. geunyeoneun manh-i piganassda”

Villanelle watches and feels her patience running thin; she turns away and thinks she could probably beat the man for an answer and Eve could translate for her; that would work well she thinks dryly to herself and as she turns back, she sees Eve walking smugly back to her.

“They were speaking Korean, not Mandarin and she’s been taken to the hospital.” Eve smiles up at Villanelle and can feel her fuming underneath the passive mask she is wearing. “Oh, and Irina is not a shit head” Eve says as she hails a taxi and climbs in waiting for Villanelle to join her.

***

St. Thomas hospital is only ten minutes away when you are being driven by ambulance, but taxi it takes seventeen minutes and each one of those minutes Villanelle spends cursing the driver in Russian and telling him to drive faster in English. Each time she speaks to him he simply shrugs his shoulders and says “Sorry Luv, can’t help the traffic”

Villanelle is about to say something, but she feels a hand on hers and she turns to see Eve shaking her head and she squeezes her hand gently. Villanelle looks at the hand on hers and she wants to say something, but the driver pulls to an abrupt halt and Eve jerks her hand away.

“Here,” Eve says passing the driver a twenty and they both rush out of the car and across the street towards the emergency entrance. Eve stops before the doors and pulls Villanelle back roughly by the arm. “What?” she whines and turns to see a concerned look on Eve’s face.

“You can’t go in there. The twelve could be tracking her. She could have set you up and they are waiting there to kill you.” Eve’s voice is frantic, her mind racing through scenarios that didn’t end with a hail of gunfire and her and Villanelle dead.

“She wouldn’t cross me” Villanelle growls and her accent is thicker than usual. “She knows I would kill her. I almost did” Villanelle says, her voice drops, and she almost sounds sad, guilty for whatever she had done.

“You can’t just go in. Let me check it’s safe.” Eve says, her hand releasing Villanelle’s arm and drops her own back to her side. Villanelle rolls her eyes before hissing out “Fine!”

“Her name is Lara Volkova. I don’t know if she would use her real name” Villanelle says and Eve nods before turning and walking toward the doors to the emergency entrance.

***

Konstantin turns at the sound of footsteps and sees Kenny walking towards him with a nervous look on his face. He is holding a file in his hands and is cautiously looking around as if someone is going to jump out of the bin or from the windows above.

“Here,” Kenny says, and he hands the file to Konstantin and rubs the back of his neck. “I tried to narrow it down as much as I could but there’s a lot of data to go through”

Konstantin looks briefly over the file and lets out a small noise. “Thank you for this. I know you do not like going behind your mothers back but sometimes this is the only way” Konstantin says softly, and Kenny nods his head warily.

“I don’t trust her. I know she was behind what happened in Rome and I know she offered Villanelle something while she was in Russia but that seemed to go out the window when she shot Eve” Kenny says, and his voice is even despite the look on his face.

“I’ve known your mother a long time. Everything she does is for the greater good. She is not a bad person, she has to make tough decisions that sometimes make her look like a bad person” Konstantin says, and he can’t help but protect the one person he had relied on for so many years.

“She thinks I don’t know what’s going on. I’ve spent my whole life watching her keeping me at arm’s length, but I know more than she thinks” Kenny says, and he watches Konstantin raise an eyebrow at the young man.

“You should be careful. You may be her son, but she would just as quickly throw you under the bus as anyone” Konstantin says and Kenny nods at his words.

As Konstantin leaves Kenny watches him walk away and feels something flip in the pit of his stomach. The file he had given Konstantin was marked top secret for a reason; the information it held was concerning a program run in Ukraine by British Special forces. A group worked closely with an unknown Russian organization for several weeks and trained them in advanced interrogation tactics and subterfuge. The British special forces team names were blacked out but there was one name on it that was of particular interest. Bill Pargrave…


End file.
